A 50-year-old man arrested on charges of raping three minor girls was shot in the leg by the police when he allegedly tried to escape from custody past Wednesday midnight in Assam’s Morigaon district, police said.
The incident took place at 12.30am on Thursday when the accused, Rajani Kanta Daimary, was being taken to his house hours after his arrest to recover a stained undergarment of his fourth victim, said Aparna N, superintendent of police, Morigaon district. The bullet hit his knee. Daimary has been admitted to the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) with a gunshot wound
“A case against the accused was lodged on Monday for allegedly raping three minor girls, aged 9, 7 and 6 years, multiple times. The last assault happened on Sunday following which families of the victims came to know about it and approached the police,” said Aparna N.
Daimary was arrested on Wednesday. During his questioning, he allegedly told investigators that he raped four girls. He reportedly claimed to have undergarments of the fourth girl at his house at Jengorbori village under Lahorighat police station. The rape survivors live in the same village.
“Since it was an important piece of evidence, we took him to his house to recover it. But while the police team was on the way, Daimary tried to flee from custody. In order to prevent his escape, the team resorted to controlled firing in which the accused was injured on his knees,” said Aparna.
{{/usCountry}}“Since it was an important piece of evidence, we took him to his house to recover it. But while the police team was on the way, Daimary tried to flee from custody. In order to prevent his escape, the team resorted to controlled firing in which the accused was injured on his knees,” said Aparna.
{{/usCountry}}The officer said they are trying to locate the fourth girl, also a minor, to have been allegedly raped by the accused.
Assam has witnessed a spurt in incidents of police shooting at alleged criminals while allegedly trying to escape from custody or snatch weapons of security personnel since May this year when Himanta Biswa Sarma took over as chief minister.
Also Read: ‘Shoot criminals in leg if they try to escape from custody’, Assam CM told cops in July
According to police figures, 28 people have died and 49 injured in such incidents. A Delhi-based lawyer has petitioned the Gauhati high court to seek an independent probe into these incidents.
In July, Biswa told police officers to shoot alleged criminals in the leg if they try to escape from custody. “Someone asked me today if police shooting at persons who try to escape from custody has become a pattern. This should be the pattern if someone who is a rapist tries to flee after snatching arms from police or someone who tries to escape while recreating a scene of crime,” Sarma told the officers during an interaction with officers amid an increase in incidents of police shooting suspects while allegedly trying to escape from custody.