Man held for raping 6yo girl after encounter in Moradabad

Bijnor: A 35-year-old man was arrested on Friday night for allegedly raping a six-year-old girl, following a brief encounter in Moradabad. He sustained a bullet injury in his leg during the exchange of fire and is undergoing treatment at district hosptital, said police on Saturday.Police said that the girl was on her way to a market near her house on Thursday evening when the accused allegedly lured her and took her to a dilapidated structure where he sexually assaulted her. He also threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the incident.The child returned home crying and narrated her ordeal to her family after which her father filed a complaint against the accused and an unidentified person. A case was registered under BNS sections 65(2) (rape of a girl under 12 years of age) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and section 3/6 of Pocso Act.Moradabad SP (City) Ranvijay Singh said, "We found the accused during a checking operation near an under-construction bridge. In an attempt to escape, he fired at the police, but he was shot and taken into custody. We recovered a country-made pistol, two live cartridges, two empty cartridges and one mobile phone from him. He was out on bail in another case where he raped a minor in 2022."