LUCKNOW: A 30-year-old man – accused of raping an 18-month-old toddler who died during treatment – was arrested following an encounter in Bahraich on Tuesday.
Police said he would be booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
Parashuram was nabbed during the wee hours of Tuesday but he managed to escape from police custody.
Hours later, he was traced again and arrested after an encounter in which he suffered a bullet injury on his leg.
Superintendent of police, Bahraich, Sujata Singh, who led the operation, told TOI that they were informed about the rape of a toddler by her neighbour, Parashuram.
He took the girl to a primary school in Nanpara and raped her repeatedly late on Monday night.
Later, he fled the spot.
“Hearing the cries of the child, locals informed the police who rushed her to the hospital and launched a hunt for the accused.
However, the girl succumbed to injuries,” Singh said.
A police team arrested Parashuram but he managed to dodge the cops and fled into the thickets.
“A few hours later, cops again spotted Parashuram and asked him to surrender.
However, he attacked the cops.
Police opened fire on Parashuram in which he sustained bullet injury on his leg,” a police officer said.
The SP said the accused has been charged with rape and booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
“We will also invoke NSA against him,” she added.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)