A 16-year-old girl was brutally killed in Kodagu district allegedly by a man who chopped off her head and took it along with him after their proposed marriage was put off as she was a minor, police said on Friday.

Subsequently, the 32-year-old accused, identified as Prakash, fled the place and is yet to be arrested, they said.

The incident was reported from Surlabbi village.

According to police, the girl had just completed her SSLC this year and her engagement was fixed with Prakash on Thursday.

However, someone informed the Child Helpline number and officials from the Child Welfare Department reached the girl, Meena's house and counselled both the families saying that if they went ahead with the marriage, it would attract provisions of the POCSO Act and Child Marriage Act.

Both families then agreed that only after Meena attained the age of 18 she would be married to Prakash. The officials and the groom's family then left the place.

However, at around 5.30 pm on Thursday, Prakash barged into Meena's house, kicked her father and assaulted her mother with a sharp-edged weapon, generally used for cutting trees. He then dragged the girl outside for about 100 metres, chopped off her head and fled the scene with it, Superintendent of Police (Kodagu), Ramarajan K, told PTI.

The victim's father and mother were admitted to a hospital where the woman was treated for her injuries. Her father did not receive any visible cut injuries, he said.

"All efforts are being taken to nab the accused," he added.

A case has been registered against the accused under Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act, police said.

The victim has three sisters and two brothers and she was the youngest, police added.

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