HYDERABAD (TIP): The four men accused of raping and murdering a veterinarian in Hyderabad were killed in an encounter in the early hours of Friday, December 6,  Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar told  PTI.

The encounter took place around 3.30 am, when the accused were trying to flee while being taken to the murder site to reconstruct the sequence of events, reported Hindustan Times. The accused allegedly snatched a weapon and fired at the police. They tried to run towards a deserted pathway, an unidentified official told The Indian Express.

“They fired upon the police team and we retaliated in self-defense,” unidentified officials told PTI. “Two of our men are also injured in the incident.”

The accused – Mohammed, Jollu Shiva, Jollu Naveen and Chintakunta Chennakeshavulu – were arrested on November 29 for allegedly raping and killing the woman by smothering her. They burned her body. The four were under judicial custody and lodged in high security cells in Cherlapally Central Prison.

The father of the veterinarian expressed his gratitude. “It has been 10 days to the day my daughter died,” he told ANI. “I express my gratitude towards the police and government for this. My daughter’s soul must be at peace now.”

(Source: PTI)