A man, accused of raping a two and a half year old girl, died of gunshot injuries following an encounter with the police in Lucknow on Friday, officials said.
The 26-year-old man, Deepak Verma, was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh, they said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone) Ashish Srivastava told reporters that the accused was killed in the Alambagh area of Lucknow early on Friday.
He said a couple, who lives under a metro station, lodged a complaint at the Alambagh Police Station on Thursday that their daughter was raped.
"A case was registered, and five police teams were formed to probe the incident. Along with this, a reward of Rs 1 lakh was also declared on the accused," the DCP said.
Srivastava said footage of CCTV cameras installed at the metro station was analysed, and it was seen that at around 3 am on Thursday, a man arrived there on a white scooter. He took the girl behind the lift of the metro station and forced himself on her.
"The number of the scooter was identified, which led the police to Verma, a resident of the Aishbagh area," Shrivastava said.
Late Thursday, the police received information that the accused was about to flee. A team reached the spot and tried to stop him, but the accused opened fire, the officer claimed.
"Verma was seriously injured in the firing. He was admitted to Lokbandhu Hospital, where he died during treatment," he said.
The DCP said the accused worked as a water vendor.
He said the girl is currently undergoing treatment at the King George Medical University, where her condition is stated to be critical.
© 2025