Rape-murder accused killed in Ghaziabad encounter family refuses to claim body

    Ghaziabad (UP), Apr 22 (PTI) The family of a 55-year-old man accused of raping and killing his four-year-old niece has refused to claim his body after he was killed in a police encounter in Ghaziabad, with locals also expressing support for the police action.
     The accused, Jasim, was wanted for the rape and murder of the girl, whose body was found concealed in a car in the Shalimar Garden area.
    Jasim was killed late Sunday night during an encounter in the Teela Mod police station area when he allegedly opened fire while trying to evade arrest.
     According to police, Jasim, who carried a reward of Rs 50,000, was tracked through CCTV footage at a Delhi railway station while attempting to flee.
     Acting on a tip-off that Jasim would meet someone near the Banthla canal in Loni, police teams laid a trap and confronted him.
     When he tried to escape by opening fire, police retaliated, during which he sustained fatal injuries, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Shalimar Garden, Atul Kumar Singh said.
     Two policemen, head constables Amit and Iqbal, were injured during the encounter and are undergoing treatment at a hospital, Singh said.
     "The injured policemen are out of danger. The body has been sent for a post-mortem and further legal proceedings are underway," ACP Singh added.
     Police said weapons and cartridges used in the crime were recovered from the accused.
     Jasim's relatives have declined to take custody of his body.
     His cousin Mehboob and step-brother Naseem said the family considered him "dead the day he committed the crime". They added that they had come from Muzaffarnagar, but would not claim the body.
     In Pasonda village, a Muslim-dominated area in Trans-Hindon, locals welcomed the police action.
     Firshad Chowdhry, husband of the area's municipal councillor, along with supporters, met the ACP and expressed appreciation for the action, saying that "such criminals are a blot on society".
     Police said further investigation into the case is underway.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)