Police have arrested a 24-year-old man after a brief encounter for allegedly raping a three-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh's Banda district, officials said on Wednesday.
Banda SP Palash Bansal said the toddler was found missing on Tuesday afternoon following which a missing person's report was registered at the Chilla police station.
During the search, police rescued the girl in an injured condition from a nearby forest and admitted her to a government hospital, the officer said.
On questioning some suspects who were taken into custody, it was found that the accused, a youth living in the victim's neighbourhood, took the girl into the forest where he allegedly raped her, the SP said.
During a search of the forest area, police arrested the accused around 2 am on Wednesday after a brief exchange of fire in which the latter sustained a gunshot wound on his leg, the officer said.
The accused has been admitted to a local hospital and further legal proceedings are underway, he added.
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