The police retaliated and shot at him, leaving the accused injured (Representational)
A 4-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped by a 35-year-old man in a village in the Maharajganj area in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya, police said on Tuesday.
Within a few hours of the incident, the police arrested the accused in an encounter during which he suffered a bullet injury in his leg while trying to flee, they said.
The rape survivor, who is in a critical condition, has been rushed to the hospital for treatment, they added.
The incident took place on Monday evening when one Salman, a resident of the same village, allegedly took the girl near his house and raped her before fleeing the area, the police said.
The girl went missing on Monday evening, and when did not return home even after 4-5 hours, her family members began frantically looking for her, they said.
Subsequently, she was discovered in the vicinity of Salman's residence, prompting the family to alert the police, they added.
Keeping in view the tension prevailing in the village, elaborate police arrangements have been made to maintain law and order, officials said.
Ayodhya Deputy SP Sandeep Singh said the accused Salman was attempting to flee after opening fire at a police team near Tarapur village on Aimee Alapur Road in Maharajganj.
The police retaliated and shot at him, leaving the accused injured, after which he was arrested, Mr Singh said.
Salman has been admitted to the hospital in police custody, he said, adding that a detailed probe is on in the matter.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)