With riots triggered by perceived police inaction over the rape and murder of 6-year-old Zainab Amin continuing throughout the day in Kasur, the alleged murderer and rapist of an 8-year-old child was killed in Punjab's Sheikhupura district by police on Wednesday night.

Police say Shiraz Arif Raja had abducted, raped and murdered 8-year-old Maliha, whose body was found in a pile of trash on January 4 stuffed in a gunny bag.

Maliha, who had been visiting Sheikhupura to spend winter vacations with her maternal uncle’s family, had gone missing on December 29.

According to the police, Raja was killed during a shootout that broke out during a police operation to take the suspect into custody.

A first investigation report of the incident was registered the Farooqabad Police Station.

Police officials said they had headed to arrest the suspect upon receiving a tip-off about his location, but when they reached the spot, the suspect and three of his accomplices opened fire, which resulted in a shootout.

Raja was shot and killed during the exchange of fire. Police claim that the bullet that took the suspect’s life came from one of his own accomplices, all three of whom managed to flee the scene.

The suspect’s body has been shifted to District Headquarters Hospital Sheikhupura for a postmortem examination.