Bengaluru, May 10 : In a shocking incident, a man hanged himself after beheading a teenage girl studying in Class 10 and escaping with her severed head.

The body of Prakash (32) a.k.a. Omkarappa was found hanging on Friday at Hamniyala village near Somwarpet town in Kodagu district. The police are still searching for the severed head of the girl named Meena (16).

Sources said the man was reportedly enraged after the two families mutually decided to postpone their marriage until the girl turned major.

The gruesome murder took place on Thursday night at Surlabbi village in Kodagu district when Prakash attacked the girl with a sharp-edged weapon, beheaded her, and escaped with her severed head.

Prakash also attacked the victim's parents.

The police said that, according to preliminary investigation, Prakash committed the crime in a fit of rage after the cancellation of his engagement with the girl.

The engagement was put off after the intervention of the Women and Child Welfare Department on Thursday.

Officials from the department maintained that they obtained an undertaking from the victim's parents not to marry off their daughter until she turned 18. It received information about the engagement after getting a call on its helpline.

It remains unclear why Prakash resorted to such violence, especially when both families had agreed to arrange his marriage with the victim after the girl turned 18.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka BJP has criticised the Congress government over the horrific incident, questioning the safety of women and girls in the state.

State BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra said on Friday that before the state could forget the gruesome murder of MCA student Neha Hiremath, another incident had occurred in Kodagu.

"The brutal murder of Meena is shocking. Criminals and murderers have no fear in the state as the government has failed to maintain law and order," he said.

/IANS