Lucknow: A man, accused of abducting and raping a three-year-old girl, was killed in a police encounter at Devikheda Road near Cantt-Alambagh border late on Thursday.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone) Ashish Srivastava identified the accused as Deepak Verma, a resident of the Aishbagh area. Verma was a habitual offender with criminal cases lodged across the city police stations. He worked as a water vendor.
After the incident was reported on June 5, five police teams were formed immediately and a Rs 1 lakh reward was announced for his arrest. The accused was identified through CCTV footage, in which he was seen with the child, daughter of daily wage labourers. She was abducted while sleeping under Chandanagar Metro Station with her parents at around 3 am on Thursday. Her parents found her after a search and took her to Lok Bandhu Hospital.
Police traced the registration number of the white scooter in which the accused had arrived at the metro station and it led them to Verma. “Within 20 hours, there was an encounter between the police team and the accused. When asked to surrender, he opened fire at the police team. In retaliatory firing, he sustained injuries,” the DCP said.
He was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries, he added.
The DCP further stated that the girl is currently undergoing treatment at the King George Medical University and her condition is stated to be critical.