A three-year-old girl was allegedly raped and assaulted in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida, reports PTI. However, according to the police on Friday, February 9, the accused was arrested after a gunfight.

The PTI reports state that the girl was found on Thursday, February 8, evening, in a field outside Rabupura town when a local heard her screams. Subsequently, the incident was reported to the local police station.

After the minor's family filed a complaint, the minor was sent for medical evaluation and treatment. A formal complaint was then filed against a known individual under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 376 (rape), 363 (kidnapping), and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, said the police.

"Swiftly working out the case, the local police nabbed accused Rahul Gautam and took him in custody. During interrogation, he confessed to the crime," Additional DCP Greater Noida Ashok Kumar Sharma said.

"Later, the accused was taken by a police team on a search to recover clothes from the incident spot. He, however, snatched the pistol of a police official and tried to escape," the officer said, reports PTI.

The accused was shot in the leg by the police team in self-defence, leaving him hurt, and he was then taken into custody once more, said Sharma.

According to the officer, the accused was thereafter brought to a hospital for medical attention while further legal processes were carried out, reports PTI.

Many residents, including women, expressed their agony over the minor's rape on Thursday by gheraoing the Rabupura police station and calling for severe action to be taken against the culprit.