Hyderabad vet rape-murder case: Bodies of accused taken to Shadnagar govt hospital

Hyderabad, Dec 06: Four persons arrested in connection with rape-and-murder of a woman veterinarian in less than 24 hours after the crime were killed in a pre-dawn encounter with police on Friday morning, police said. The overnight development in the case on Friday took place before the speedy trial could begin.

"The four accused were killed in an encounter with police," Cyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar said. Two policemen were also injured in the incident, a senior police official said.

According to Firstpost, the bodies of the four accused have been taken to Shadnagar government hospital.

The accused were Mohammed, 26, Jollu Shiva, Jollu Naveen, and Chintakunta Chennakeshavulu. All of them were lodged in the high-security Cherlapally prison. The reconstruction of a crime scene is a normal process as mandated in the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The four men, all lorry workers, aged between 20 and 24, were arrested on November 29 for allegedly raping and killing the woman by smothering her and later burning her body.

They were in remanded to 7 days' judicial custody. They were taken to the crime scene on Friday morning by the police as part of the investigation, a source said. "They fired upon the police team and we retaliated in self-defence. Two of our men are also injured in the incident," the source told PTI.

The gang rape-and-murder triggered a nation-wide outrage with the public and lawmakers demanding speedy punishment to the perpetrators. The state government ordered setting up of a fast track court to expedite the trial.