Lucknow, Sep 17 : The Gorakhpur police on Wednesday arrested Rahim Khan, the prime accused in the murder of NEET aspirant Deepak Gupta, after an encounter in which he was injured.

Khan was admitted to a hospital for treatment, while a pistol and a motorcycle were recovered from him.

Gupta, a medical aspirant, was allegedly killed by cattle smugglers in Gorakhpur on Monday. Rahim Khan had been named as one of the accused in the case.

Gorakhpur SSP Raj Karan Nayyar said four accused have been arrested so far, while two others are still absconding.

He said Khan opened fire when cornered by the police team, forcing them to retaliate, which led to his injury. Two other accused, Chhotu and Raju, are being interrogated.

Nayyar added that police have announced a reward for the absconding accused, whose identities have been confirmed, and five dedicated teams are conducting raids to nab them.

The victim's family members had held a protest against the killing and asked for justice.

Reacting to the encounter, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav launched a sharp attack on the government, questioning its law and order record.

"Before 2022, a businessman from Kanpur died in police custody, and now a young student preparing to become a doctor has been killed in Gorakhpur. What was the police doing in the Chief Minister's home district despite such a huge cattle smuggling incident? Why was an encounter necessary?" he asked.

Calling the encounter "pre-planned", Akhilesh Yadav alleged: "When a senior officer went to Gorakhpur, it was decided then. It didn't happen that night, but the encounter took place while our press conference was underway."

The SP chief asserted that "encounters won't improve law and order; they will improve only by giving opportunities to good officers, not by assigning police stations on the basis of caste". He accused the government of using encounters to 'hide its failures' and alleged that those involved in cow slaughter were linked to the BJP, with the administration "complicit in the Gorakhpur incident".

/IANS