Greater Noida rape-murder main accused shot dead in police encounter while recreating crime scene | Hindustan Times - Hindustan Times

**Greater Noida – Police Say Accused in Six‑Year‑Old’s Rape‑Murder Killed in Encounter While Re‑creating Crime Scene**

*New Delhi, 30 August 2026* – Uttar Pradesh police announced that Balraj, the prime suspect in the brutal rape‑and‑murder of a six‑year‑old girl in Greater Noida, was shot dead during a “police encounter” on Thursday evening. According to a statement released by the Uttar Pradesh Police, officers were conducting a re‑creation of the crime at the victim’s residence when Balraj allegedly opened fire, prompting the police to return fire and kill him on the spot. The incident was reported to the media at 7:15 p.m. IST, and the police have said that a forensic team and a judicial magistrate will now examine the scene to confirm the sequence of events.

The murder case, which first made headlines in March 2024, shocked the nation after investigators uncovered that the child had been sexually assaulted and later strangled in a rented flat in Greater Noida. Balraj, a 32‑year‑old resident of the nearby locality, was arrested in June 2024 after DNA evidence and CCTV footage linked him to the crime. He was lodged in a local police lock‑up and was being interrogated as part of the re‑creation exercise when the alleged exchange of gunfire occurred, according to senior police officials. The police have emphasized that the encounter was “unavoidable” and that Balraj had “attempted to escape and threatened the lives of the officers present.”

The death has ignited a fresh wave of political and public reaction. Akhilesh Yadav, leader of the Samajwadi Party, called the incident “spine‑chilling” and urged the state government to order an independent inquiry, warning that “law and order has become so lax that even the most heinous crimes are being met with extrajudicial killings.” Opposition parties and several civil‑rights groups have similarly demanded a transparent probe, while the victim’s family expressed mixed emotions, mourning the loss of their daughter while acknowledging the suspect’s death as a “form of justice.” The Uttar Pradesh government has promised a thorough investigation and has directed the state’s Crime Branch to submit a detailed report within the next 15 days.

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