Mumbai: In a dramatic development, the man accused of sexually assaulting two little schoolgirls in Maharashtra’s Badlapur town was on Monday shot dead by police after he fired at them.
According to police, the accused Akshay Shinde snatched an officer’s revolver and opened fire on the cops when he was being taken from Taloja jail to Badlapur in a police vehicle for investigation, at around 5.30 pm.
Several rounds of gunfire took place, with cops firing in retaliation. Shinde was critically injured in the firing, and later died in hospital.
Two police officers were also injured in the exchange.
Shinde, who worked as a cleaner in the school, was arrested on August 17 on charges of sexually abusing two girls, aged 4 and 5, in the toilet five days earlier.
The horrific crime sparked massive outrage across India as local people and Opposition parties held protests in the area.
Local police was initially probing the case, before the Eknath Shinde-headed Maharashtra government set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) following public outcry over serious lapses in police investigation.
A case under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was also registered against the chairman and secretary of the school for not reporting the incident to police immediately and for negligence.
On Monday, the duo moved Bombay High Court, seeking pre-arrest bail.
Bombay High Court took suo motu cognizance of the case and is overseeing the investigation.
