Akshay snatched police officer’s gun and opened fire; cops retaliated and the accused died in hospital
Police shot and killed Akshay Shinde, a man accused of raping two girls at a school in Badlapur, Maharashtra, after he took an officer’s gun and started firing at the police. Two police officers were also hurt during the incident.
The police stated that Shinde, the accused, grabbed a weapon from an officer and shot while being taken from jail in a police vehicle around 5.30 pm. Multiple incidents of shooting occurred, resulting in injuries to police officers as well.
Authorities stated that police fired back at Shinde while he was being transported from Taloja jail to Badlapur for questioning. He sustained severe injuries in the shooting and eventually passed away in the hospital.
The individuals injured in the incident are Assistant Police Inspector Nilesh More and Inspector Sanjay Shinde, who fired at the suspect. Sanjay Shinde participated in the apprehension of Dawood Ibrahim’s sibling Iqbal Kaskar during his time with the Thane Crime Branch‘s Anti-Extortion Cell led by encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma. He is part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) created by the state to investigate the Badlapur case.
Also read: ‘Dada took off my clothes’: Chilling ordeal of the assaulted Badlapur girl
Incident sparks political debate in the state
The incident sparked a political debate in the state, with the opposition questioning the incident, whereas the government argued it was an act of self-defense.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the “man accused in a rape case was being taken for investigation when he grabbed the police’s gun and opened fire at them.” He emphasised, “The police fired at him in self-defence”.
Shinde was taken into custody on August 17 for molesting two young girls, aged four and five, in a school restroom five days before. Protests in the area were met with a huge outpouring of anger due to the incident. Shinde was employed as a janitor at the school.
Initially, the local police were investigating the case, but due to public outrage over significant flaws in their investigation, the Maharashtra government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
In August, the Bombay High Court stepped in on its own to take notice of the case and is now overseeing the investigation.
