LUCKNOW, June 7 -- The man who raped a toddler and was gunned down in a police encounter in the early hours of Friday was booked in criminal cases registered at two police stations in the city. Charges for rioting, criminal intimidation and others were booked against him in these cases. According to police, Deepak Verma, 24, was the youngest of the four siblings. "His elder brother, Vishnu Verma, earns his living working as a labourer and fruit vendor. His elder sister lives in Surat, and his younger sister lives in Lucknow. Two years ago, the sister in Surat had gifted Vishnu a scooter, which Deepak forcibly took and used to commit crimes," said Subhash Chand, the Alamabh station house officer (SHO), adding he often stayed out late. In a CCTV footage, Deepak was seen fleeing with the two-year-old child on a white scooter. The police said Deepak usually left home at 6 pm and returned by 5 am. A police investigation also revealed his prior involvement in a similar crime, leading to his imprisonment along with two of his accomplices. "The accused has two criminal cases, one registered in Para in 2024 and another at Hazratganj police station in 2021," read details shared by the police. While the case at Para police station was booked under sections 504 (intentional insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, IPC sections 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504, and 506 were invoked in the other. According to police, Deepak would, at times, help his brother-in-law in the latter's fruit business. "He also sold water in trains. He organised ritualistic jagrata events for which he made tableaus as well," said DCP (Central) Ashish Srivastava. In a picture widely shared on social media, the accused can be seen posing in front of a statue of Lord Shiva, which he had made as part of a tableau for a jagrata event....