The criminals deserved to be shot dead: YSRCP MP Raghurama Krishna Raju on Telangana encounter

YSR Congress Party MP, Kanumuru Raghu Rama Krishna Raju, on Friday said that the four accused in the rape and murder of a woman veterinarian who were killed in the Telangana encounter, "deserved to be shot dead".

Speaking to ANI, Raju said: "When the police were trying to reconstruct the facts from the location, the accused escaped and had to be shot dead. The police did the right thing. If the accused were allowed to flee, the image of the police would be tarnished."

He further said that everyone would appreciate the action of the Telangana Police.

"They deserved to be shot dead. God has been so kind and that the perpetrators of the heinous crime were killed. This is a good lesson that this type of action should be taken every time. Every citizen is celebrating the occasion of the encounter," he said.

He also stated that no opposition party or NGO should oppose the action of the Telangana police

"If any NGO or opposition party opposes the action, they are anti-national," he said.

According to the police, the four accused were being taken to the scene of the crime when they allegedly attempted to escape.

"The accused Mohammed Arif, Naveen, Shiva and Chennakeshavulu were killed in a police encounter at Chatanpally, Shadnagar today in the wee hours, between 3 am and 6 am," Cyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar said.

The four accused were under arrest and in judicial custody. They were lodged in high-security cells at Cherlapally Central Jail in Hyderabad.

DCP Shamshabad Prakash Reddy said, "Cyberabad Police had brought the accused persons to the crime spot for re-construction of the sequence of events. The accused snatched weapon and fired on Police. In self-defense, the police fired back, in which the accused were killed."

Police said that the veterinarian was brutally raped and killed by the accused who later burned her body in the Shamshabad area on November 27. Her charred body was recovered on November 28.