Ghaziabad,

April 20 (HS): A criminal sought for the rape and murder of his four-year-old

niece was slain in a police encounter late on Sunday night in Uttar Pradesh's

Ghaziabad district, a police officer said on Monday. The accused Jeeshan (55),

who was carrying a cash reward of Rs 50,000, reportedly opened fire to elude

capture during a combined operation by the police and Crime Branch, injuring

two people, according to the police. According to the police, at 12 p.m. on

April 11, Jeeshan reportedly enticed the youngster from outside her house under

the guise of buying her toffees. He escorted her into his room, where he

reportedly raped and strangled her to death.

After

the act, the accused took the body on his shoulders and put it beneath a car on

an 80-foot lane near the Shalimar Garden police station before leaving. His

presence was recorded on CCTV footage at the Delhi railway station two days

earlier, when he attempted to depart the city. According to the police, they

received a tip that the accused was planning to meet someone near the Banthla

canal in Loni. Following that, a crew from the Teela Morh police station sealed

the area and began checking. They noticed the suspect and directed him to halt.

When Jeeshan saw the cops, he attempted to leave. When he found himself

surrounded by police, he allegedly opened fire on them.

The

police fired in self-defense, and the accused received bullet wounds. He was

brought to a hospital, where medics pronounced him dead, according to police. According

to ACP Shalimar Garden Atul Kumar Singh, the culprit was killed in retaliatory

shooting, and the injured cops, head constables Amit and Iqbal, are safe. Singh

said the deceased's corpse had been submitted for a post-mortem test, and

police had retrieved guns and cartridges from his possession.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi