All four accused in rape, murder of Telangana vet killed in encounter

Telangana Police on Friday shot dead all four accused in the gang-rape and murder of a young veterinarian in an encounter near Shadnagar town.

The accused were killed early Friday morning when they allegedly tried to escape from Chatanpally near Shadnagar, about 50 km from Hyderabad. Two policemen were also injured in the incident, a senior police official said.

They were gunned down at the same spot where the accused had dumped the victim's body and set it afire on the night of November 27 after the gang-rape near Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

The four accused, Mohammed Arif (26), Jollu Shiva (20), Jollu Naveen (20) and Chintakunta Chennakeshavulu (20), had been taken to the crime scene at 3 am for a reconstruction as part of investigations, the police said.

They were at the spot where the charred body of the woman was found, around 60 km from Hyderabad, when, the police claim, one of the men signaled to the others, possibly to escape.

Cyberabad police claim that the accused tried to snatch weapons from them and attacked them. The police fired at the men.

"They were killed in crossfire. They tried to snatch weapons from the guards but were shot dead," senior police officer Prakash Reddy said.

"We called an ambulance but they died before any medical help could reach them."

Senior Police officials have arrived at the site of the encounter.

The gruesome rape and murder had triggered nation-wide rage with demands for immediate death penalty to the perpetrators.

Earlier on November 28, the four accused, all truck-drivers and cleaners, saw the woman park her scooter near a toll-booth. She left for a dermatology appointment. They allegedly punctured a tyre of the scooter and waited. When she returned, they pretended to help, gang-raped her at a deserted spot, strangled her and burnt her body to destroy evidence, according to the police.