Police shoot dead four suspects of rape and murder

Indian police shot dead four men accused of raping and murdering a vet in the southern city of Hyderabad last week, police said on Friday.

The men were arrested last week in connection with the gang rape and murder that caused nationwide outrage.

The police told Al Jazeera the four men were taken to the crime scene in the early hours of Friday for a reconstruction of the crime.

"But they attacked the police party and tried to run away following which police fired and the men were killed," said Jitender, additional director general for law and order, Telangana Police.

Deputy commissioner of police Prakash Reddy, in Hyderabad, told that the suspects "tried to snatch weapons from the guards but were shot dead".

"We called an ambulance, but they died before any medical help could reach them."

No details were instantly available about how many police officers had escorted the four accused and whether they were handcuffed or bound together as is usually the case.

Police in India has often been accused of extrajudicial killings, called "encounters", especially in states experiencing armed rebellion such as Indian-administered Kashmir and the country's northeast region.