A delivery man with an e-commerce firm accused of raping a customer inside her apartment was arrested on Sunday after a gunfight with the police near Uttar Pradesh’s Noida. The police took Sumit Sharma into custody from Khairpur village earlier on Sunday, but the accused escaped after snatching a policeman’s pistol, officials said, as per a PTI report.
A few hours later, he was caught by the police following an encounter, they added.
The accused was booked for raping a 19-year-old woman on Friday at her apartment in Supertech Ecovillage Society in Noida Extension after finding her alone in her residence where he went to deliver an order, said the police, as per the report.
An FIR was lodged against Sharma on Friday under sections 376 (sexual assault), 323 (causing hurt), and 506 (criminal intimidation), among others of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the local Bisrakh police station, said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Noida) Hridesh Katheria.
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"Eight police teams were formed to ensure the arrest of the accused. Today, on the basis of a tip-off, he was held from Khairpur village. However, when he was being brought to Bisrakh police station, he snatched the pistol of a policeman and managed to escape," Katheria said.
"Soon, other police teams were alerted and a combing operation was launched. When found again by a police team, the accused opened fire on them, prompting retaliatory action in which he suffered a gunshot on his leg and was taken in custody once again," the officer said.
The arrested accused is a resident of Achcheja village in Gautam Buddh Nagar and had criminal tendencies, said the police, adding that his brother too is a local history-sheeter.
Following his arrest, Sharma was taken to hospital for treatment and further legal proceedings were being carried out, police said.