Ghaziabad (UP), 31 May

The main accused in the murder of a 17-year-old Class 11 student here died after sustaining injuries in an encounter with police early Sunday, police said

Asad, a resident of the Khoda area, was wanted in connection with the stabbing of Surya Chauhan, who succumbed to injuries on Friday while undergoing treatment.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (City) Dhawal Jaiswal said in a press statement that Asad was injured during an exchange of fire with a police team in the Khoda area. He was immediately taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Chauhan, a resident of Navneet Vihar Colony in Khoda, was stabbed during an altercation on 28 May and was initially admitted to a local hospital before being referred to a private hospital in Noida, where he died.

Based on a complaint lodged by the victim's family, police registered a case against five people. Three accused were arrested soon after the incident, while Asad, named as the main accused, remained absconding.

A reward of Rs 50,000 had been announced for information leading to his arrest.

Earlier, police had said preliminary investigations suggested that the accused and the victim were friends and that a dispute over riding a motorcycle escalated into an argument, during which Chauhan was stabbed.

The victim's family, however, alleged that Chauhan had been lured to a meeting spot after receiving a phone call and was attacked by multiple assailants armed with knives.

Following Chauhan's death, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had said on Saturday that the killers would not be spared and face the strictest punishment under the law.

BSP chief Mayawati described the incident as "extremely tragic and worrying" and demanded strict action against those responsible.