18-year-old girl shot dead, another injured in college campus

In a shocking incident in a campus, an 18-year-old girl student was shot dead in her bed at close range and another injured allegedly by an attender of their college who stormed into the hostel on the city outskirts, wielding a countrymade pistol.
The man, identified as Mahesh, barged into a room and gunned down Gautami lying on her bed in the hostel room of Pragati College at Kadugodi last night but spared her roommate, police officials said.
He then knocked at the door of the next room and as it was partially opened, he tried to open fire at a girl but as he did not succeed, he reloaded his countrymade pistol and shot again injuring another girl, the officials said.

As he walked out, he was questioned by a third girl about what he was carrying, at which he tried again to shoot but did not succeed, Bengaluru Police Commissioner M N Reddi told reporters.
"He then put the gun in his pocket and covered it with his shirt and quickly walked away," Reddi said, citing the "report" given by students as well as the warden.
Mahesh was arrested today and the weapon seized within hours after the incident on the third floor of the hostel where the girls studying pre-university (standard 12) stayed.

The injured girl is "out of danger" and is being treated at a private hospital here, Reddi said.

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 the motive was not known but "there was some amount of tension" between him and students about his wanting to dominate their life in setting rules for their behavior which was opposed by a number of girls including the victim.
He said Mahesh was working with the college for the last two years.
Special teams were 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 Arms Act, besides other offences.