MEERUT, May 28 -- A late-night police encounter in Bareilly district led to the rescue of a one-and-a-half-year-old boy who had been kidnapped from Manauna Shyam Temple in Aonla earlier this week, officials said on Wednesday. Two alleged members of an inter-district child trafficking gang were arrested after sustaining bullet injuries in retaliatory firing by police, they added. Rishabh, the son of Raman, a sanitation worker employed at the temple, was allegedly kidnapped on Sunday afternoon from the temple premises, triggering a massive police search operation across multiple districts. According to SP (South) Anshika Verma, investigators initially recovered CCTV footage showing two suspicious men near the temple around the time of the kidnapping. Based on the footage and other intelligence inputs, five police teams were formed to trace the kidnappers and rescue the child. Late Tuesday night, police received information that the accused were travelling on a motorcycle on Aliganj Road with the kidnapped toddler. Acting swiftly, police teams launched a chase and eventually spotted two men carrying the child near Hulasi Gate, officials said. When police attempted to stop them, the accused allegedly opened fire in an attempt to escape. During the exchange of fire, head constable Umesh sustained a bullet graze injury on his arm. Police retaliated, shooting both accused in their legs before overpowering and arresting them. The accused were identified as Yogesh, an MSc (Nursing) student from Dhopla Karim Nagar village under Garhiya Rangeen police station limits in Shahjahanpur district, and Pawan Singh, originally from Kakrala town in Badaun district and currently residing in the Jalalabad area of Shahjahanpur. During the encounter, the motorcycle reportedly lost balance, causing the child to fall. Police personnel rescued Rishabh and shifted him to a community health centre for medical examination and treatment. Officials said the toddler suffered only minor injuries, including a slight head injury for which he received bandaging. According to police, preliminary investigation indicates that the accused kidnapped the child with the intention of selling him. Verma said both accused are currently in police custody and undergoing treatment for their injuries. She added that efforts are underway to identify other members of the suspected trafficking racket and determine whether the gang was involved in similar crimes in other districts....