All 4 suspects in Hyderabad gang-rape, murder case shot in police encounter
Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, December 6
All four suspects in the gang-rape and murder of a veterinarian in Telangana have been killed in an encounter with the police.
The police said the four suspects, aged between 20 and 24, had been taken to the spot of the crime for recreation of the crime scene when they tried to escape and were shot.
Locals had on Thursday demolished the wall behind which the crime was committed.
Telangana Police had secured the suspects' remand on Thursday for a week on the ground that they needed to reconstruct the crime scene.
Keeping in view the public outrage, the suspects were earlier kept in a local jail so that people did not lynch them.
Cyberabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar said at a press conference later in the evening that his men resorted to “retaliatory” firing after two of the accused opened fire at police after "snatching" weapons from them.
He said one of the accused, Mohammed Arif, was the first to open fire, even as the 10-member police team that took them to the crime scene were attacked with stones and sticks.
The police returned fire after initial “restraint” and asking the accused to surrender, he said.
The snatched weapons were in “unlocked” position, he added.
The accused were not handcuffed when the firing took place and the incident happened between 5.45 am and 6.15 am this morning, he said.
A police sub-inspector and a constable suffered head injuries and were undergoing treatment, he said.
“Even though our officers maintained restraint and asked them to surrender, without listening to us, they continued to fire and attack...our people started retaliation. And in that retaliation four accused got killed,” he added.
