Hardoi,

06 May (HS): A criminal wanted in connection with the rape and murder of a

juvenile boy was slain in a confrontation with police in the Mallawan region on

Wednesday. A

senior officer said that the confrontation also injured a Special Operations

Group (SOG) official. Mehnoor (32) was the main accused in the gruesome murder

of a seven-year-old kid whose corpse was discovered in a corn field in

Matiyamau village on Tuesday. Superintendent of Police (SP) Ashok Kumar Meena

stated that a joint team of local police and the SOG sealed off the area to

apprehend the culprit after receiving a tip. When confronted, the accused

opened fire on the police crew. Mehnoor was gravely injured in the retaliatory

firing and eventually died while receiving treatment at the district hospital,

according to the SP.

Rajesh

Kumar, the SOG in command, was shot in the crossfire and is presently being

treated at the district hospital. According to investigators, preliminary

evidence suggests that the youngster was abducted, raped, then killed. To

disrupt the investigation, Mehnoor reportedly used a stolen SIM card to make a

ransom call to the minor's family, trying to disguise sexual assault and murder

as an abduction case for profit. Following the finding of the child's body, the

Inspector General of Police (Lucknow Range) announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for

the apprehension of the culprits. Mehnoor, a Kannauj resident, was a persistent

offender with over a dozen criminal charges lodged against him in several

districts. The authorities found a.32 bore pistol, a.315 bore country-made

pistol, a motorbike, and many ammunition at the scene.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi