Police said the rape-murder accused opened fire at the police team and was killed in retaliation. (Representational image)

A 23-year-old man accused of raping and murdering a minor girl was shot dead in an encounter with police in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district last night. This is the second time in the past four months that a rape-murder accused has been killed in a police encounter in Bengal.

Police sources have said a Class 11 student went missing from her home in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas on Saturday. Her body was found near her neighbour’s house on Sunday. Police later arrested Prahlad Das (23) for allegedly raping and murdering the 13-year-old.

Late on Monday, a police team took Das for crime scene reconstruction. According to police, while returning from the crime scene, Das snatched a service revolver from a police officer and opened fire at the police team. One policeman had to jump into a pond to save himself, the police said. The police personnel retaliated and shot Das.…