Hours after a six-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted in a village under Sadar Kotwali area on Tuesday evening, a joint team of Lakhimpur police and SWAT unit arrested the accused following a brief exchange of fire near Sharda canal on Ravhi-Saraicha road late on Tuesday night, officials said.
According to senior superintendent of police (SSP) Khyati Garg, the joint team of Sadar Kotwali police and the SWAT unit, led by deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Vivek Tiwari and comprising inspector Rajesh Kumar Singh, sub-inspector Sanchit Kumar and SWAT sub-inspector Jay Prakash Yadav, cornered the accused.
The accused opened fire on the police team in an attempt to evade arrest, following which he was injured in the leg in retaliatory firing and apprehended, the SSP said.
The accused was identified as Ram Jivan (aged around 34 years) of the same village as of the victim, the DSP said, adding a country-made pistol, a live cartridge and an empty cartridge were recovered from the accused, who was rushed to the district hospital for treatment.
According to police, a case under Section 109(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for attempt to murder was registered against the accused and he was also booked under Section 3/25 of the Arms Act. Earlier, the accused was booked under Section 65(2) of the BNS (for raping a girl under 12 years of age) and sections 5(m)/6 of the Pocso Act.
According to police, Ram Jivan lured the girl to a secluded place while she was playing outside her house and allegedly sexually exploited her.
