18-year-old girl shot dead, assailant nabbed

In a shocking shootout in campus, an 18-year-old girl student was shot dead and her roommate injured allegedly by an attender of their college who stormed into the hostel on the city outskirts.
The man, identified as Mahesh, was arrested today within hours, after he allegedly gunned down Gautami last night and fled the scene of crime at Pragathi college at Kadugodi, police said.
Mahesh had barged into the hostel room on third floor where the two girls resided and fired from his countrymade pistol, killing Gautami instantly and injuring her friend, both pre-university (standard 12) students, senior police officials said.

The injured girl is "out of danger" and is being treated at a private hospital here, Bengaluru Police Commissioner M N Reddi told reporters.
A senior doctor at the hospital said the victim's friend has suffered a bullet injury on her face which requires surgery but her condition is stable.
Reddi said Mahesh was working with the college for the last two years and the motive behind the killing was not yet known.

Special teams had been formed to track down Mahesh and sent to different parts of the state. He was traced to his sister's house, police said, adding, he had been booked for murder and under Indian Arms Act, besides other offences.

On the motive of the attack, Reddi said "we can't say anything as of now, we will get to know about things only after the investigations."
Home Minister K J George, who visited the college, said the two students were at the hostel last night when the attender "shot at one girl and has killed her.