India, July 8 -- The prime accused in the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in West Bengal's Baruipur area was shot dead during an encounter on Tuesday, media reports said.

According to reports, the incident occurred on Tuesday when Pravash Mondal was taken to the spot to reconstruct the crime scene.

During this, he tried to snatch a firearm from the police and flee, sources told NDTV.

Mondal is among the three accused arrested in connection with the case.

The other two accused were identified as Ananda Sardar and Dibakar Sardar.

According to police, the victim's body was recovered from a pond after she was reported missing.

The investigation gathered pace after the postmortem examination confirmed that the minor had been sexual...