LUCKNOW: Hours after the abduction and rape of a three-year-old girl sleeping with her mother under a bridge near Alambagh metro station, the accused was killed in an encounter with Lucknow police early Friday.The accused, identified as Deepak Verma, a habitual offender with multiple criminal cases lodged across city police stations, was traced through CCTV footage that captured him fleeing with the child on a white scooter around 3.30 am on Thursday.Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone) Ashish Srivastava said multiple police teams were formed immediately after the incident, and a reward of ₹1 lakh was announced for information leading to Verma’s arrest.Based on the scooter’s registration details and a tip-off, police intercepted Verma near Devi Kheda in Cantonment.“When asked to surrender, he opened fire at the police team. In retaliatory firing, he sustained injuries,” said Srivastava.Verma was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.Meanwhile, the minor survivor, who suffered severe injuries to her private parts, remains critical and is being treated at Lokbandhu Hospital. Doctors confirmed she lost significant blood and will require plastic surgery. “She is under treatment at KGMU,” said the DCP.To recall, a case had been filed under rape and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act), 2012.The incident had come to the fore when officers from One Stop, an organisation supporting women, notified police around 10 am on Thursday after a handicapped person heard the girl’s screams about 500 metres from where she was sleeping and informed the victim’s family.The victim’s family narrated, “After completing the work, we slept. Late at night on Wednesday, someone took the girl away. At 4 am on Thursday, an old man woke us up, and then we came to know about the incident.”The family took the girl to Lokbandhu hospital, where doctors confirmed she had been raped and was in critical condition. Dr Rajiv Dixit, medical superintendent, said the child bled profusely from a deep wound in her private part, and her overall condition remained critical. The girl would require plastic surgery, with experts including a gynaecologist, paediatrician, and surgeon involved in her care.She is currently under treatment at KGMU trauma center.
