LUCKNOW: A 28-year-old auto-rickshaw driver accused of molesting a woman, assaulting her inside a moving vehicle, and allegedly attempting to strangulate her before throwing her onto a roadside stretch in Gomti Nagar was injured in a police encounter in the wee hours of Monday when he allegedly opened fire on a team attempting to arrest him.The accused, identified as Sunny Kashyap (28), sustained a bullet injury to his leg during a joint operation conducted by the Ghazipur police and the East Zone Crime Team. Police said he was subsequently arrested and admitted to a hospital for treatment. An illegal firearm and cartridges were recovered from his possession.The incident stems from an alleged attack on a 55-year-old woman on the evening of June 6. According to police, the woman had boarded an auto-rickshaw from the Engineering Chauraha area and was travelling towards her residence in Gomti Nagar. During the journey, the driver and his associate allegedly began molesting her inside the moving vehicle.When the woman resisted, the accused allegedly assaulted her and attempted to silence her by throttling her. Police said the attackers allegedly tried to kill her by strangulating her inside the moving auto-rickshaw.Investigators further alleged that after the victim continued resisting, the accused threw her out of the moving vehicle near the CNS Hospital area on Ring Road in Sector 25 before fleeing the spot.The victim’s family later approached police and lodged a formal complaint, following which a case was registered. Taking the matter seriously, senior police officials constituted two special teams to identify and apprehend the accused.“During the investigation, police identified two suspects—Sunny Kashyap and his associate Sumit Kashyap (19). Sumit was arrested on the morning of June 7, while efforts continued to trace Sunny,” said Deeksha Sharma, DCP, East Zone.According to DCP, a joint team of the East Zone Crime Branch and Ghazipur police located Sunny on Sunday. However, when officers moved in to arrest him, he allegedly fired at the police team in an attempt to escape. Police retaliated in self-defence, injuring him in the leg and taking him into custody.Police records indicate that Sunny Kashyap has a previous criminal case registered against him at Kotwali police station in Sitapur district in 2024 under charges related to abduction, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and rape. Further legal action is being taken based on the evidence collected and statements recorded in the case.
