The Uttar Pradesh Police said on Saturday that it has arrested two persons who were allegedly involved in raping and murdering a four-year-old girl in Bulandshahr district. The two accused were identified as Raju, who is a resident of the Balrampur district, and Veeru, who is resident of the Lakhimpur Kheri district, and they were nabbed following an encounter.
According to the police, the girl had gone missing after which her family members lodged a complaint. The police launched a search and found the victim on Thursday evening from the Rajpura locality of the industrial area within the police station's jurisdiction.
The victim was taken to a hospital, where the doctors declared her dead.
"The father of the victim has filed a written complaint, based on which a case has been registered at the Sikandrabad police station under relevant sections of the law," said Dr Tejveer Singh, Superintendent of Police (SP), Rural, Bulandshahr told news agency ANI.
"In his complaint, the father stated that two young men, Raju, son of Radheshyam, a resident of Balrampur district, and Veeru, son of Ramesh, a resident of Lakhimpur Kheri district, also live on rent in the same building where he resides. The child was playing on the roof of the building and was later found injured in a field behind the building," he added.
Probe launched, accused caught after encounter
During its probe, the police found that the victim was gangraped by the two accused. The victim's father also suspects that the child was gangraped, the police said. Following this, the police formed three teams and launched a probe to apprehend the accused.
During the operation, the accused fired at the police. The police fired back at them and injured them, before arresting the two.
"In the retaliatory firing, both accused sustained gunshot wounds to their legs. They were arrested and taken to the hospital for treatment. During preliminary questioning, the accused admitted their involvement in the incident. Further legal action is being take," Singh told ANI.
