UP woman cop attack: ‘Prime suspect’ killed, 2 aides hurt in encounter

The deceased has been identifid as Anis Khan (28), a resident of Haiderganj in Ayodhya district, while those arrested are Vishambhar Dayal Dubey (45) of Sultanpur and Azad (30) of Haiderganj.

Both Azad and Vishambhar are being treated at a hospital for bullet injuries.

The police said the three suspects have had a criminal past with charges of attempt to murder, robbery, and theft against them. They also face cases under the Cow Slaughter Act, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, and the UP Gangsters Act, it is learnt.

While Anis faced six cases, Azad has 12 and Vishambhar three, they added.

Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said the three attacked and injured the constable after finding her alone in the compartment.

A senior STF official said, “During questioning, Azad said they shifted to another compartment at the Mankapur railway station and found the woman sleeping on a bench. They tried to snatch her bag but she woke up and slapped one of them. On this, they got infuriated and attacked her with blades they were carrying. They also smashed her head against a window of the train several times, rendering her unconscious.”

A joint team of the STF and the local police traced the assailants with the help of technical and human surveillance, he added. The probe team collected some photographs of the alleged assailants and showed it to the victim who identified them.

Ayodhya Superintendent of Police (SP) Raj Karan Nayyar said the accused opened fire when a team went to arrest them in the Inayat Nagar area of Ayodhya district.

“The police fired in retaliation, leaving Azad and Dubey injured, while Anish managed to escape. After a brief chase, the police traced him to the Pura Kalandar locality where he fired at them. But he was killed in the retaliatory firing,” the SP said.

A policeman also suffered a minor bullet injury in the cross-firing, he added.

The FIR in the case was registered under Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code. The police have added Sections 354-B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe) and 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) against the accused.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the matter, the Allahabad High Court on September 3 served notices on the Centre and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and ordered a thorough probe in the case.

The police had, at the time, claimed that medico-legal and forensic reports had not confirmed that the victim was sexually assaulted.

The STF had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for providing information about the people involved in the attack. The victim is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Lucknow and her condition is stated to be stable.