A man accused in the alleged sexual assault and murder of a three-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur district was injured in a police encounter on Monday, with bullets hitting both his legs, police said, according to news agency IANS. The accused, identified by police as Hiralal, allegedly opened fire at a police team with an illegal country-made pistol when he was taken to the crime scene for evidence collection, officials said. Police said they returned fire, injuring him in both legs.

Source: IANS via The Freedom Press

The case came to light on November 1, when the girl's body was found in a field in an area under the Muskara police station's limits, police said. A case was registered against the accused based on a complaint by the girl's father. Given the gravity of the incident, the Superintendent of Police formed three teams to investigate the case and arrest the accused, and the teams later arrested him, police said.

Additional Superintendent of Police Arvind Kumar confirmed that the girl's body was recovered from the Muskara police station area on November 1 and that a case was registered on her father's complaint. "Three police teams were formed to solve the case. The team arrested the named accused, Hiralal. After questioning, when the accused was taken to the crime scene to collect evidence, he opened fire at the police team with an illegal country-made pistol," Kumar said, as reported by IANS.

The injured accused was initially taken to a Community Health Centre and later referred to the district hospital for further treatment, police said. The allegations against him have not been proved in court. Police said further investigation into the case is under way.

Source: The World Opinion (IANS)