In a pre-dawn encounter, the Cyberabad police shot dead all four suspects of the veterinarian's rape and murder case.
Around 3 am, the police opened fire on them on National Highway-4 near Hyderabad at the very same place where the charred body of the 26-year-old victim was found. The police had taken the four accused -- Mohammad Ali alias Mohammad Arif, Jollu Shiva, Jollu Naveen Kumar and Chintakunta Chenna Keshavulu -- to the spot for the recreation of the crime scene when the incident occurred.
According to the police, the suspects began pelting stones at the cops in order to escape. The police directed them to surrender, but the suspects didn't follow instructions, forcing the cops to use their weapons.
VC Sajjanar, Cyberabad police commissioner, who hails from Hubballi, Karnataka, confirmed the incident. "The four suspects were killed in crossfire in wee hours on Friday," he said.
The 26-year-old veterinarian was smothered, raped and then burnt by the suspects on November 27. The charred body was found the next day, triggering nation-wide protests.
The suspects were arrested within 36 hours after the incident and were remanded in judicial custody. On Wednesday, they were produced before the court, while the court remanded them in police custody on Thursday.
Also read — Police did a great job: Nirbhaya's mother on encounter
Reacting to the news of the encounter, the father of the veterinarian said, "It has been 10 days to the day my daughter died. I express my gratitude towards the police and government for this. My daughter's soul must be at peace now."
Asha Devi, Nirbhaya's mother said that the police who killed all four accused in rape and murder of woman veterinarian in Telangana in an encounter while they were trying to escape "did a great job." She further demanded the no action be taken against the police personnel. Devi lost her daughter Nirbhaya after she was brutally raped in the national capital in December 2012.