In West Bengal, a man accused of raping and murdering a 12-year-old girl was killed in a police encounter. After CCTV caught him with the victim, he fled, but police tracked him down. He died in hospital after opening fire on officers, who shot back.
CCTV footage has emerged in the rape and murder case of a 12-year-old girl in West Bengal’s Dinajpur, showing the victim on a cycle with the accused hours before she went missing. According to NDTV report, the victim sat behind the accused, who was riding the bike while sporting black jeans and a pink top. Then, under the guise of showing her the Kulik River, he led her to a remote location where he reportedly sexually assaulted her before murdering her.
Officials claim that the victim knew the accused and used to call him “Jethu” (uncle). After then, the girl vanished. Investigators discovered that the accused stole Rs 300 from the victim’s father and offered to assist in finding her while her family was looking for her.
Two days later, the girl’s family filed a rape and murder complaint when her nude and half decomposed body was found in a woodland close to the Kulik River. The accused had been at large ever since.
The police searched the Gouri gram panchayat area on Sunday night after receiving a tip that the culprit was hiding there. Officials claim that the accused opened fire on the police team carrying out the operation, allegedly striking the police car’s tire. The accused was hurt when the police opened fire in reprisal. After being brought to Raiganj Medical College and Hospital, he was pronounced dead.
What Did Police Say?
“We had been searching for the accused for the past four days. Acting on a tip-off, our team traced him in Parapukur near the Bengal-Bihar border. He opened fire at the police team, who retaliated in self-defence,” the senior police officer said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, reacting to the encounter, said, “Do police shoot every accused? When someone attacks police, they retaliate in self-defence.”