A man who abducted a seven-year-old boy last week and is alleged to have sexually assaulted and subsequently strangled him to death was fatally shot during an encounter with the Hardoi Police in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.

The suspect, known by multiple aliases including Menoor, Shenoor, and Mehnuddin, was a repeat offender from the nearby Kannauj district, with a criminal history that included a dozen cases across the state. Authorities had placed a reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to his capture.

Police reports indicate that the perpetrator regularly visited the victim’s village to see a relative and had plotted the kidnapping to extort money from the boy’s family.

On May 1, the boy’s family reported him missing after he went to a local fair and failed to return home after an hour. After searching throughout the night, they filed a kidnapping report at the local police station.

Allegedly, the suspect had murdered the child on the same day and later contacted the family to demand a ransom of Rs 7 lakh for the boy’s ‘safe return.’

On May 5, authorities discovered the child’s body in a nearby field. Preliminary investigations suggested signs of sexual assault, although a conclusive report is pending.

“Our investigation revealed that the boy was last seen with the accused. We also gathered electronic evidence linking him to the crime,” stated the Station House Officer from the relevant police station.

On Wednesday morning, police located the suspect while he was riding a motorcycle. Upon noticing the police, he allegedly fired his weapon in an attempt to evade capture.

During the confrontation, Sub-Inspector Rajesh Kumar, who heads the Hardoi Special Operations Group, sustained a gunshot wound to his hand. The police returned fire, resulting in the suspect being shot. He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Kumar is currently receiving treatment, and his condition is reported to be stable.

Hardoi Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar Meena noted that the suspect’s involvement became evident during the investigation, and after he went into hiding, a reward was issued for his arrest.

The father of the victim expressed sorrow over the tragedy, stating that the family was unfamiliar with the suspect prior to the incident. “I have lost my son… we had so many dreams for him. This year, we were planning to enroll him in a private school,” lamented the grieving father, who is a businessman.

The victim was the second of four children in the family.

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