Lucknow, 22 March,
 A man accused of attempting to rape a woman before murdering her in Lucknow was killed in an encounter with police here, officials said.

Ajay Dwivedi and his brother Dinesh had allegedly attempted rape on the woman and then strangled her in the Malihabad area of the capital on March 18, according to the police.

Dinesh, a tempo driver, was arrested on Friday morning and Ajay was absconding until the encounter the same evening, the police said.

DCP (Lucknow West) Vishwajit Shrivastava said, "The woman had arrived in Lucknow from Varanasi around 1.30 am on March 18. She then called her brother from Alambagh to inform him that she would reach his home in the Chinhat area. She was in a three-wheeler with both the accused."

When the woman didn't reach home, her brother tried to call her but her phone was switched off, the officer said.

He then alerted UP 112 and eventually a probe was launched.

The officer said the woman was unaware about the routes in Lucknow and the duo took her towards Malihabad in the wrong direction where they tried to force themselves on her in a mango orchard.

When she resisted, the duo strangled her to death and left her body in the orchard before fleeing, Shrivastava said.

Dinesh, who lives in the Dubagga area, was held in the morning with the help of electronic surveillance as multiple police teams were on the case and in the evening Ajay was also traced in Mahmood Nagar.

"He tried to escape and opened fire on the police team, promoting a retaliation in which he suffered injuries and was held. He was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead by doctors," the DCP told reporters.

He said Lucknow Police had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his arrest.

Further legal proceedings in the case are underway.