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Hardoi child murder: Accused carrying ₹50,000 bounty killed in police encounter
He was wanted in connection with the killing of the child whose body was recovered from a maize field near Matiyamau village on Tuesday
An accused in an abduction and murder case of a minor boy in Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi district, carrying a bounty of ₹50,000 on his head, died during treatment after being injured in a police encounter on Wednesday, officials said.
Police identified the deceased as Menur alias Noor alias Mehnuddin, a resident of Rora Nistauli Tathiya village in Kannauj district. He was wanted in connection with the killing of the child whose body was recovered from a maize field near Matiyamau village on Tuesday.
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According to official information released by Hardoi police, the boy’s father, Aqeel, filed a complaint on May 2 stating that his son had gone missing a day earlier after leaving home to attend a village fair but did not return. A case was registered and two police teams were formed to trace the child.
Search efforts led to the recovery of the boy’s body from a maize field on the outskirts of the village. The body was sent for post-mortem after inquest proceedings.
During the investigation, police identified Mehnuddin as a key accused and announced a ₹50,000 reward for his arrest.
Early Wednesday, the accused was allegedly injured in an exchange of fire with police and taken into custody. He was first taken to the Community Health Centre in Mallawan and later referred to the district hospital in Hardoi, where he succumbed to bullet injuries, police said.
Officials added that SOG in-charge Rajesh Kumar was also injured after being hit by a bullet during the encounter. He is undergoing treatment at the district hospital.
Police said weapons including a .32 bore pistol, a .315 bore country-made firearm, a motorcycle, and live and spent cartridges were recovered from the accused.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the crime involved abduction followed by sexual assault and murder. Police also suspect that after committing the crime, the accused tried to mislead investigators by making a ransom call to the victim’s family using a stolen SIM card.
Officials said the accused had around a dozen criminal cases registered against him in different districts.
