UP man arrested for attacking teen girl tried to escape, shot in the leg: Cops

Police said the suspect, Mohammad Shaukeen, was shot at after he tried to escape from police custody after snatching a service pistol of a sub-inspector

GHAZIABAD: A 35-year-old man was shot in the leg by the police late on Thursday, hours after he was caught by the public and placed under arrest for allegedly attacking a neighbour’s 16-year-old daughter with a sword-like weapon in western Uttar Pradesh’s Modinagar, police said on Friday.

Ghaziabad DCP (rural) Vivek Chandra Yadav said the incident took place soon after the suspect snatched a service pistol of a police officer and fired at the police team (HT FILE PHOTO)

Police said the suspect, Mohammad Shaukeen, was injured in police firing after he snatched a service pistol of an officer escorting him to a local health centre and fired at the team.

Ghaziabad deputy commissioner of police (rural) Vivek Chandra Yadav, said Shaukeen was being taken to a community health centre in Modinagar late on Thursday for his medical examination when the incident took place. It is not clear why the medical examination was conducted late in the night. He is alleged to have attacked the girl, which led to his arrest at about 4pm.

“There, he snatched the service pistol of one of our sub-inspectors accompanying him and tried to flee. In the course of the attempt, he opened fire at the police with the looted service pistol. The police team also opened retaliatory fire. One bullet hit him in his leg…. He was overpowered and the service pistol also recovered,” said Yadav.

Yadav said Shaukeen’s motive for attacking the class 9 student is not very clear.

The senior police officer said Shaukeen had advised her father to change her school but the girl’s family didn’t take his advice against the girl going to the particular school very seriously.

Police said they were yet to ascertain why Shaukeen was against the school, the nature of his relationship with the girl’s family and the provocation to hurting the girl. “We are waiting for the girl to recover to record her statement”, said Yadav.

Shaukeen separated from his wife about three years ago and lived alone in the house next to the victim. Shaukeen has a young daughter who lives with her mother.

Police said additional police force has been deployed in the area to maintain law and order situation since the victim and the suspect are from different communities.