A 30-year-old man in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district, accused of raping a toddler, was shot in the leg by the police on Tuesday after he tried to flee custody.

The man was arrested for allegedly raping a one-and-a-half-year-old girl in a village in Bahraich district on Monday night. According to the police, the accused picked up the toddler while she was sleeping beside her mother and took her to a primary school in the village where he allegedly raped her. He was later beaten by the villagers after they spotted him.

The girl was taken to a hospital but she died during treatment. Her body has been sent for postmortem.

Based on the complaint of the victim’s father, the police registered an FIR against the accused under section 376 AB of IPC and section 5M/6 of POCSO Act. The accused was arrested on Tuesday.

When the police were taking him for remand before the district magistrate, the accused tried to escape to avoid arrest but was injured in police firing. He was taken to a community health center for treatment.