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(CNN) - Four men arrested for a high-profile rape and murder case in India were shot dead by police while in custody, an official confirmed Friday, receiving praise from the victim's family.
The men had been arrested in connection with the group rape and murder of a 27-year-old veterinarian who was strangled and her body burned in the city of Hyderabad, Telangana state, last week.
- Four men confessed the group rape of a woman they later burned alive, according to Indian police
The charred remains of the woman were found near the underpass of a highway on November 27, which caused outrage and protests in several cities, such as Bengaluru and the capital of India, New Delhi. Many of the protesters carried banners and sang slogans demanding the death penalty for suspects.
Police personnel gather near the site where four suspects of group rape and murder were killed in Hyderabad on December 6, 2019.
The victim has not been publicly identified due to Indian laws against the identification of victims of sexual assault.
Prakash Reddy, deputy commissioner of the Shamshabad Police in Hyderabad, told CNN that the four men were killed in "crossfire" when police took them to the scene of the crime to rebuild the attack.
"Some of the defendants snatched weapons from police personnel and shot them," Reddy said. "In self-defense, the police shot at the defendants."
An ambulance was called, but the men were pronounced dead at the scene, he added.
No details were provided on the number of police officers at the scene during the incident, or how the four defendants had managed to obtain the officers' weapons.
- They set a woman on fire when she went to the trial of those accused of having raped her
Hyderabad police said they will hold a press conference later on Friday about the incident.
Speaking to local television on Friday, the woman's father, who has also not been identified, said police actions would mean that "his daughter's spirit finally reaches peace."
"I want to congratulate the Telangana government, the police and the people who have been supporting me," he added.
A sister of the victim said she believed the incident would deter others from raping in the future.
“The defendants have been found. And I feel very happy, ”he said.
Calculated attack
Police allege that two of the men approached the 27-year-old girl after noticing a flat tire on her motorcycle.
According to the police, the two men were members of a band of four who had conspired to sexually assault her. One of the men had deliberately let the air out of the tire, police said.
It is alleged that three of the gang dominated the victim and dragged her to a closed area a few meters away. They covered her mouth with her hands to silence her.
It is alleged that the four men took turns raping the victim, before suffocating her and transporting the body to the outskirts of Hyderabad. In an effort to hide his crime, it is alleged that the men poured fuel over his body and set it on fire.
Lawmakers in the Parliament of India have condemned the Hyderabad incident, demanding stricter legislation and faster punishment for rapists. Some even asked that rapists be lynched or publicly castrated.
According to the National Bureau of Crime Records of India, about 100 sexual assaults are reported to the police every day. In 2017, more than 32,000 rapes were reported across the country, but experts say the real number is probably much higher, due to the shame associated with sexual assault and the social barriers victims face.
Rape