UP: Accused in minor boy's rape and murder killed in encounter; SOG official injured

The encounter took place around 3 am near Babatmau area in Hardoi district during a checking operation to trace the absconding accused. Mahnoor sustained a bullet injury to the chest and died at the district hospital; SOG in-charge Rajesh Kumar was also hit by a bullet and is undergoing treatment at a medical college hospital.

During questioning of the arrested accused, police identified Mahnoor, a resident of Kannauj district, as having a role in the crime and declared a cash reward of Rs 50,000 on his arrest; Mahnoor was described as a history-sheeter with multiple aliases (Shahnoor and Mehnuddin).

Investigators recovered the child’s body around 3:30 pm after digging up a maize field behind a madrasa, nearly 500 metres from the victim’s house.

Police traced the ransom call number to Kanpur and conducted raids there. Two accused persons were arrested on Tuesday, officials said.

On Monday, Ambedkar Nagar police killed 20-year-old Aamir in an encounter. He was accused of murdering a woman and her four children allegedly after she refused to marry him and transfer property in his name, police had said.

The child's father reportedly received ransom calls after the kidnapping, demanding Rs 7 lakh as ransom. To confirm the UPI number, the father was made to transfer Rs 100 online before being told to arrange the remaining amount; the family later informed police and reportedly refused to pay the ransom.

The case pertains to the kidnapping of a seven-year-old boy from the Mallawan police station area on May 3. The victim, son of a hafiz associated with a local mosque, had gone to an Urs fair near his village after taking Rs 20 from his grandfather; a missing complaint was filed the same day.

The police recovered a .32 bore pistol, a .315 bore country-made pistol, a motorcycle, and several cartridges from the encounter site.

In the same operation, SOG in-charge Rajesh Kumar sustained a bullet injury and is being treated at the district hospital.

When challenged, the accused opened fire on the police team. In retaliatory firing, Mehnoor was critically wounded and later died during treatment at the district hospital.

Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the local police and the Special Operations Group cordoned off the Mallawan area to nab the suspect.

The body of a seven-year-old boy was recovered from a maize field in Matiyamau village. Mehnoor was identified as the prime accused in the killing. Police said the child was kidnapped and raped before being murdered. Following the discovery, the inspector general of police declared a reward of ₹50,000 for the capture of the accused. Mehnoor is a resident of Kannauj district and is described as a habitual offender with nearly a dozen criminal cases registered across various districts.