Bhopal/Raisen, Nov 28 (PTI) A man on the run after raping a six-year-old girl in Madhya Pradesh's Raisen district was apprehended in Bhopal after a six-day manhunt, which ended in an encounter with the police, an official said on Friday.
The accused, Salman Khan (23), was shot and injured after he allegedly attempted to escape police custody by snatching a sub-inspector's revolver and opening fire at the police team when he was being brought to Gouharganj in Raisen on Thursday night, the official said.
The rape incident, which took place on November 21, triggered outrage, leading to protests and road blockades in Raisen over the last six days.
The official said that a group of people spotted Khan while he was looking for a rented room in the Gandhinagar locality of Bhopal around 11 pm and handed him over to the police.
While the accused was being taken to Gouharganj, the vehicle's rear tyre developed a puncture near Keertanagar in Obedullaganj town of Raisen district.
The official said that in an attempt to escape, Khan snatched a sub-inspector's revolver and fired at the police team, but sustained a bullet injury to his leg in retaliatory firing and was overpowered.
The accused was admitted to Hamidia Hospital in Bhopal shortly after midnight, he said.
Raisen Superintendent of Police (SP) Ashutosh Gupta, Additional SP Kamlesh Khrapushe, Sub-Divisional Officer of Police Sheila Surana and a large police force reached the spot following the incident.
Speaking to reporters, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Khrapushe said that Bhopal's Gandhinagar police had handed Khan over to Raisen police.
The accused hid in Bhopal for two days after reaching the city on foot through forested areas from Raisen. His house in Shyampur of Sehore district is about 18 km from the Gandhinagar locality, he said.
The accused is under guard at Hamidia Hospital and will be questioned once his condition improves, he added.
Khan's arrest has brought relief to residents of Raisen, Vidisha, Sehore, Narmadapuram and Bhopal districts, where protests, road blockades and rising tension had continued for the last six days.
Police had announced a reward of Rs 30,000 for Khan after the alleged assault on November 21. According to the police, the accused took the child towards a forested area on the pretext of buying her a chocolate and raped her.
Villagers later found her crying in the forest. She is undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhopal, and doctors have reported improvement in her condition.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had earlier expressed displeasure over the delay in the arrest and over what he saw as inadequate police action during road blockades.
On November 26, he reviewed the case with senior officials, ordering the immediate removal of then Raisen SP Pankaj Pandey and attaching him to Police Headquarters.
Meanwhile, activists of Hindu outfits gathered outside Hamidia Hospital on Friday morning, raised slogans and demanded that the police gun down the accused.
Members of the Hindu Utsav Samiti and Sanskriti Bachao Manch officials, chairman Chandrashekhar Tiwari, alleged lapses in intelligence and questioned how Khan managed to hide in Bhopal.