According to the Vasad police, the accused asked the driver to stop the vehicle, saying he was feeling unwell. (Express Photo/AI enhanced)A man arrested for the alleged abduction and murder of a four-year-old girl from the railway station at Vasad in Gujarat’s Anand district was shot dead in an alleged encounter Monday morning after he allegedly tried to escape from police custody.The accused, 25, was shot after he allegedly assaulted two constables with a knife while being taken from Borsad, where he was apprehended, to Anand.According to the police, he asked the driver to stop the vehicle, saying he was feeling unwell. When the vehicle stopped, he allegedly suddenly attacked the constables with a knife, leaving both injured.Also Read | Murder accused shot in leg by police during escape attempt in Gujarat’s SuratAs the situation escalated, the police repeatedly warned him to surrender, but he allegedly continued the assault. A senior police officer told The Indian Express that the firing was “necessitated by the accused’s attack on the policemen escorting him and was an act of self-defence.”The officer said he was hit with two bullets and was rushed to Shri Krishna Medical Hospital in Karamsad, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.His body has been sent for a post-mortem, while legal formalities are underway.Case of rape and murderThe accused was arrested on June 19, hours after the police traced him through CCTV footage at the Vasad Railway Station, which allegedly showed him taking the girl away.Story continues below this adShe disappeared from Platform No 1 at around 9.15 pm on July 18, and her body was found the following morning, about 200 metres at the end of the platform on the railway tracks.Also Read | ‘Even black thread couldn’t save her’: Man gets 50-year jail term for girl’s rape, murderThe police suspect that the child was sexually assaulted before being killed, with her body allegedly thrown onto the tracks in an attempt to destroy evidence.Her clothes were recovered separately from the scene, prompting the police to register a preliminary case of rape and murder while awaiting the findings of the post-mortem examination and forensic analysis.Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues. Expertise: Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including: Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground. Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure. Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case). Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions. Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram