BENGALURU, 14 April

Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday said he would hold a joint meeting with Labour Minister Santosh Lad to address concerns over the involvement of migrant labourers in criminal activities.

While stating that migrant workforce cannot be stopped, Parameshwara stressed the need to monitor and manage crime involving labourers from other states, particularly in light of the recent kidnap and murder of a five-year-old girl in Hubballi by Ritesh Kumar, a 35-year-old from Patna, Bihar.

"Bengaluru and Karnataka are fast-developing, drawing workers from across the country. However, we are seeing increasing cases of their involvement in crimes. We must take this seriously," Parameshwara said.

Referring to the Hubballi case, he called it a "ghastly incident." The accused was shot dead in a police encounter when he allegedly attacked officers during evidence gathering. A senior official has been directed to conduct a detailed investigation.

Meanwhile, Parameshwara also confirmed the arrest of Santosh D, a 29-year-old driver from Tilaknagar, in connection with the molestation of a woman in Suddaguntepalya on 3 April. The accused was tracked down in Kozhikode, Kerala, and is being brought to Bengaluru.

The 1.55am incident, captured on CCTV, went viral after the man groped a college student walking with a friend. He fled when the women raised an alarm.