Unnao rape accused attacks survivor’s kin, kills mother, self: Cops

The incident occurred in a village 65 kilometres from the district headquarters.

Four people — the rape survivor, her two sisters and her father — sustained injuries, of which three are still undergoing treatment. Their condition is stated to be stable.

In her statement before the police, the survivor’s sister and one of the wounded persons claim she and her family had been sleeping on the terrace of their one-storeyed house when the accused sneaked in by scaling walls.

At 3:30 am, they allegedly woke up to a loud sound and saw their mother lying in a pool of blood with the assailant standing over her, a gun in hand. “When we raised the alarm, the accused fired at us and attacked us with the sharp-edged weapons they were carrying, then jumped down from the terrace and escaped,” she said.

When some neighbours, who heard the family’s cries for help, gave him a chase, the accused allegedly threatened them with his weapons, and eventually ran into a nearby field.

Moments later, the crowd allegedly heard a gunshot and found the accused with a bullet through his head.

According to the police, both bodies have been sent for autopsy. “Two country-made pistols were recovered from the scene,” Unnao’s ASP Prem Chand told The Indian Express.

The rape accused was booked for rape last August and was granted bail in February.

The case was being tried, with the court still recording the statement of the rape survivor’s mother — the main complainant.

According to the police, the accused, who had moved to Unnao city since his bail, had been blaming the survivor’s family for filing false charges. Investigators have allegedly found a video of him threatening to kill the rape survivor.

In their statement to the police, the rape survivor’s family alleged that there were two other accomplices who sneaked into the terrace with the accused.

They also claim this isn’t the first time that he had tried to harm the rape survivor’s family.

“On July 3, the rape accused came to the village and deliberately rammed his motorcycle into our younger sister. When she objected, he threatened to kill her. We made a complaint to the police, but no action was taken against him,” the survivor’s family said.

However, police sources say that so far, preliminary investigations show that the rape accused was acting alone. On the second allegation, a senior police officer said inquiry was ongoing.

On her part, the rape accused’s family maintains that he had been falsely incriminated in the rape case. His mother also accuses the survivor’s family of harassing her son for money.

IG Lucknow Range Prashant Kumar said investigation of the case was ongoing and that police were now recording statements from local residents.