A group of six people, allegedly into timber smuggling, assaulted a 16-year-old girl at Hirebidare in Chikkamagaluru taluk on Wednesday accusing her of informing the Forest Department officials on their illegal activities.
Lakshmi, who passed SSLC this year, was beaten with sticks and slapped repeatedly. She is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Chikkamagaluru. Meenakshi, Punit, Narayan, Venkatesh, Sudhi and Shiva entered her house on Wednesday morning and snatched her phone and assaulted her.
It is said the previous night the group was transporting trees cut in the nearby forest illegally. The girl had come out of the house in the dark and spotted their activity. Incidentally, the forest officials had stopped their consignment later. “I had gone out as dogs were barking in the night. I did not call any official to inform him about any activity. However, they did not believe me”, she said.
Her family members have filed a complaint with Chikkamagaluru Rural Police.
