Rape-murder of 9-year-old girl: 28-year-old man arrested from Hapur after encounter

New Delhi: Days after alleged rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl in northeast Delhi's Dayalpur area, a 28-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday after an encounter with police, an official said.

The accused, a resident of Nehru Vihar in Dayalpur, was arrested near Hapur in Uttar Pradesh, the official said, adding that he tried to escape during which he attacked a police constable with a hidden blade before being shot in the leg by police.

"He was being transported to Delhi when he requested the police team to attend nature's call near Jheel Park in Welcome area of Delhi," said the officer.

After coming out of van, the accused suddenly pulled out a blade and slashed constable Amit Mann twice in the chest before trying to flee.

"Team members fired warning gun shots, but the accused continued fleeing. Then they fired another round which hit his leg and he was overpowered," said the officer.

The accused was arrested with the help of CCTV footage and technical surveillance, police said.

Both the injured constable and the accused were taken to hospital for treatment. A fresh case has been registered at Welcome police station for the assault on police personnel.

On Saturday, a nine-year-old girl, a resident of Nehru Vihar, was allegedly raped, killed and her body stuffed in a suitcase at a neighbour's house in Dayalpur area, triggering protests by her family members and locals.

The girl's body was found on Saturday evening. On Sunday, family members and local residents protested against the accused.

The girl had gone to give ice to a relative living nearby around 7 pm on Saturday but did not return, her family members had said.

Later, the family members discovered the girl stuffed in a suitcase. They rushed the girl to a local clinic, but the doctor asked them to take her to a hospital immediately. At the Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital in Shastri Park, doctors declared her brought dead, her father had said.