Kidnapping accused killed in police encounter in Gujarat’s Anand

A man accused of abducting and murdering a four-and-a-half-year-old girl was killed in a police encounter in Gujarat’s Anand district late on Sunday (19 July 2026) after he allegedly attacked two policemen with a hidden knife while trying to escape from custody, police said.

Inspector General of Police, Ahmedabad Range, Raghavendra Vatsa, said the accused, identified as Suresh Parmar, was shot dead in self-defence after he continued to attack police personnel despite repeated warnings to desist.

Two police officers were injured

“An accused of kidnapping and murdering a minor girl was killed in an encounter after he tried to escape by attacking police personnel with a hidden knife. Two police officers sustained injuries in the attack,” Vatsa said on Monday (July 20, 2026).

The victim, the daughter of migrant workers, was sleeping with her parents on the platform at Vasad railway station when she was abducted around 9.15 pm on Saturday (July 18, 2026), police said. Her body was found on the railway tracks early Sunday morning.

CCTV footage from the station reportedly showed Parmar taking the child away, prompting a search operation involving the Railway Police, Anand District Police, Local Crime Branch (LCB), Special Operations Group and Vasad Police.

Parmar, a resident of Borsad town in Anand district, was arrested by the Borsad rural police late on Sunday (July 19, 2026) and handed over to the LCB for further investigation.

Police said that while the LCB team was bringing him to Anand town on Sunday (July 19, 2026) night, Parmar asked the escort officers to stop the vehicle and claimed he needed to vomit. Once the vehicle stopped, he allegedly pulled out a hidden knife and attacked two police officers in an attempt to escape.

Police said the sub-inspector repeatedly warned Parmar to surrender, but he continued the attack, forcing the officer to open fire in self-defence.

Parmar sustained bullet injuries and was taken to a hospital in Karamsad, where he died during treatment in the early hours of Monday. Two injured officers are receiving treatment, police said.

Published – 20 Jul 2026 23:37 IST