Authorities in Uttar Pradesh successfully apprehended two men suspected of the brutal rape and murder of a five-year-old girl following a tense police encounter in the Sikandrabad area, during which both accused sustained gunshot wounds to their legs. Identified as Raju, hailing from Balrampur district, and Veeru Kashyap from Lakhimpur Kheri district, the suspects were taken into custody late Friday night after reliable intelligence pinpointed their hideout, with illegal firearms and ammunition seized from them.

The gruesome crime surfaced when police received urgent reports of the young victim found in a critically injured state within a residential locality under the jurisdiction of Sikandrabad police station. Responding officers, accompanied by the distraught family, rushed her to a nearby community health centre for immediate medical attention, only to have doctors pronounce her dead upon arrival, prompting swift registration of a formal case based on the father's detailed complaint.

The victim's father, in his official statement, directly implicated the two accused—tenants residing in the same multi-occupancy building as his family—alleging their involvement in the heinous act and raising strong suspicions of sexual assault preceding the murder. This led to the immediate formation of three specialized police teams tasked with locating and detaining the fugitives without delay.

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Utilizing precise tip-offs indicating the suspects were concealed within an under-construction colony along Kanwara Road, law enforcement personnel strategically encircled the site, resulting in an exchange of gunfire as the accused resisted arrest. Both men were neutralized with targeted shots to their legs, ensuring their capture while recovering prohibited weapons and cartridges that underscored their armed threat.

In preliminary interrogations conducted post-arrest, the duo reportedly admitted to their roles in the incident, providing crucial initial confessions. Superintendent of Police (Rural) Tejveer Singh affirmed that a thorough probe continues to uncover the precise motives driving the crime, alongside collection of forensic and circumstantial evidence to build an airtight case against the perpetrators.

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