A man accused of raping and murdering a young girl in West Bengal's Baruipur area was killed in a police encounter early Wednesday after allegedly snatching an officer's service rifle and opening fire, authorities said. Police returned fire, and Prabhash Mondal was shot and later declared dead at a local hospital.
The body of the victim, aged 11 or 12, was recovered from a pond in Suryapur village on Sunday, a day after she went missing. The killing had sparked a mob lynching of a man later declared innocent by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Mondal's mother has disowned him and refused to accept his body.
The encounter occurred as police took Mondal to the crime scene Tuesday night to reconstruct the incident. Three other suspects, including alleged mastermind Ananda Sardar, remain in custody. The government has ordered a departmental inquiry into the encounter and formed a Special Investigation Team to examine the broader case.