In a highly controversial move, Indian police shot dead four men who were accused of raping and murdering a woman near Hyderabad in South India last Wednesday (November 27).<br /><br />Police officials said they had taken the four men, Mohammed Areef, 26, Jollu Shiva, 20, Jollu Naveen, 20, and Chintakunta Chennakeshavulu, 20, to the scene of the crime at 3 am where they reconstructed events as part of their investigations.<br /><br />The four men were shot dead in the early hours of this morning (December 5) after they allegedly tried to snatch weapons from the police and escape. <br /><br />The incident caused an uproar with many Indian human rights activists accusing the police of a staged encounter to hand out extra-judicial justice. <br /><br />But many supported the police saying ‘the men got what they deserve.’ Indian legal system notoriously drags on trial for several years before reaching any conclusion. <br /><br />The men had allegedly raped and murdered Priyanka Reddy, 28, a veterinarian near Hyderabad on November 28. The men saw the woman park her scooter near a toll-booth before leaving for a dermatology appointment. <br /><br />They allegedly punctured a tyre of the scooter and waited. When she returned, they pretended to help, gang-raped her at a deserted spot, strangled her and burnt her body to destroy evidence, according to the police.
