Lucknow: A 29-year-old criminal wanted in connection with the kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of a 7-year-old minor boy was killed in an encounter with the police in the Mallawan area of Hardoi district on Wednesday morning.The accused, Shahnoor alias Mehnuddin, had more than 15 criminal cases pending against him, including eight under the POCSO Act.He carried a cash reward of Rs 50,000 on his head.A police officer also sustained bullet injuries in the encounter.Mehnuddin, in the latest incident, was wanted for the kidnapping and murder of a minor son of a madrasa teacher on May 3. The boy’s body was later recovered from a maize field. The minor was suspected to have been sexually assaulted.According to police, the encounter took place around 3 am near Babatmau area, nearly 50 kilometers from Hardoi city, during a checking operation launched to trace the absconding accused. Police said a suspicious motorcycle rider was spotted near the area and was signaled to stop.However, the suspect allegedly tried to flee before opening fire on the police team. In retaliatory firing, Mehnuddin sustained a bullet injury to his chest. He was rushed to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead.During the exchange of fire, SOG in-charge Rajesh Kumar was also hit by a bullet fired by the accused.Superintendent of Police, Hardoi, Ashok Meena, said the victim, son of a cleric associated with a local mosque, had gone to an Urs fair near his village after taking Rs 20 from his grandfather.“When he did not return till late evening, the family launched a search. Soon after, a missing complaint was lodged with police the same day,” said Meena.Soon after, the child’s father allegedly received a phone call from unidentified persons claiming that the boy had been kidnapped. The callers demanded Rs 7 lakh as ransom for his release.To confirm the UPI number, the accused allegedly made the father transfer Rs 100 online before asking him to arrange the remaining amount, said the SP.Family members sought time to arrange the money but later informed police.“During preliminary investigation, police reached the owner of the SIM card from where the ransom call was made. The owner told police that his SIM was snatched away by a man who was holding a boy who was bleeding and crying. He also mentioned the place where it happened,” said the SP.Locals further told police that they had spotted a man with a boy going in the fields. Investigators found freshly dug soil and, when they dug it, found the body of the child buried in a pit inside a maize field located nearly 500 meters from the victim’s house.Police recovered the child’s body on May 5.“The inquiry carried out gave evidence of sexual assault,” said the SP.The victim studied in UKG at a local Anganwadi center and was the youngest among siblings, including two brothers and a younger sister.
