A 16-year-old boy allegedly killed his minor live-in girlfriend by opening fire at her and buried her body to cover up the crime in Bengaluru South district’s Kodihalli police station limits.

The incident unfolded on July 10 at the boy’s house in Kempalanatha village near Kodihalli. The girl, who was also 16, hailed from a different village.

According to the police, on July 10, the boy allegedly found the girl texting another boy on social media and reprimanded her. The accused allegedly fought with her over the matter and assaulted her. He then fetched an old country-made firearm and opened fire at the girl.

An investigator in the case told The Hindu that the boy then informed his brother and his uncle, who helped him bury the girl’s body and allegedly tried to cover up the murder.

“The boy’s uncle had shared the incident with one of his friends, who in turn spoke about it to a few more people, leading to rumours spreading. The girl’s parents also heard the rumours and and then filed a missing complaint, after which we questioned the boy and found that the girl had been murdered,” the officer said.

The officer said the body is yet to be exhumed, after which it will be sent for postmortem examination. The police have seized the country-made firearm allegedly used in the crime. The firearm is believed to have belonged to the boy’s grandfather and had allegedly been kept illegally by the family ever since.

According to the police, the boy befriended the girl on social media about two months ago, and she had been living with him for about a month.

“The girl had discontinued her studies. She had told her parents that she was living with her friend, and the family also did not question her,” the police officer said.

The boy’s family allegedly knew that the girl was living with him but did not question it. For now, the police have recorded statements from both families but have identified several loose ends. The investigation will continue to ascertain whether there was negligence on the part of multiple people in the case.

The Kodihalli police have registered a murder case and arrested the minor boy, his brother and uncle.