Hardoi, May 6 (IANS) The police have successfully solved the sensational murder of a 7-year-old child from Matiyamau village, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Mallawan police station in the Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh, within 24 hours. The suspect, who had a bounty of Rs 50,000 on his head, was shot dead in a police encounter, while the in-charge of the Special Operations Group (SOG) was injured during the operation.

According to police reports, the accused sexually assaulted the victim before murdering him. In a calculated attempt to mislead investigators, the suspect used a stolen SIM card to demand a ransom from the grieving family, intending to steer the case in the direction of a kidnapping.

Police officials stated that swift action was taken in the matter, resulting in the neutralisation of the accused, and an investigation into the entire sequence of events is currently underway. The injured SOG in-charge has been admitted to a hospital for medical treatment.

According to official information released by Hardoi police, the boy’s father, Aqeel, filed a complaint on May 2 stating that his son had gone missing a day earlier after leaving home to attend a village fair but did not return. A case was registered, and two police teams were formed to trace the child. Search efforts led to the recovery of the boy’s body from a maize field on the outskirts of the village. The body was sent for a post-mortem after the inquest proceedings.

During the subsequent investigation, police identified the primary suspect as Mehnuddin. Due to the heinous nature of the crime, a Rs 50,000 reward was immediately announced for his capture.

The accused was initially taken to the Community Health Centre in Mallawan after the shootout and later referred to the Hardoi District Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Senior officials confirmed that swift action was prioritised to deliver justice, and a comprehensive investigation into the full sequence of events is ongoing.

–IANS

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