Man Accused Of Killing 4 Children, Their Mother Shot Dead In UP Encounter

A man accused of killing four children and their mother in Ambedkar Nagar was gunned down in a police encounter on Monday, in which two policemen were also injured, officials said.

The accused, Aamir, was the prime suspect in the gruesome killings that sent shockwaves through the district two days ago. A combination of obsessive affection and greed for property is suspected to have triggered the killings, police said.

Ambedkar Nagar SP Prachi Singh said the encounter took place on the intervening night of Sunday-Monday.

"Aamir was cornered by police following a tip-off when he was trying to flee the district. When asked to surrender, he opened fire. In retaliatory firing, the accused sustained fatal injuries. Two policemen were also injured in the encounter," the SP told reporters.

The quintuple murder had initially confused the investigators.

When the bodies of the four children were discovered on May 2, the mother was initially suspected to be behind the act. However, the narrative changed a day later when the woman's body was found dumped in a drain, indicating that she too was a victim of the same perpetrator.

A thorough probe and technical surveillance led police to Aamir, the SP said.

"Aamir wanted to marry the woman. He also wanted to grab her property. When things did not go his way, he eliminated the entire family," the officer said.

A large contingent of police has been deployed in the area following the encounter to keep a check on law and order, Singh added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)