Saharanpur: In a case reeking of inter-caste violence in rural India, a 25-year-old woman was reportedly shot dead by her brother in a police vehicle outside a health center. The victim was shot dead after she had eloped a week earlier with a neighbour from the Jat community, against her family's wishes who were Thakurs.

The attack reportedly took place in full public view and in the presence of police outside a community health centre (CHC) on Monday.

The victim, identified as Rakhi Rana was a resident of Ramkhedi village under Fatehpur police station. After she went missing from her place, her family filed a kidnapping complaint against two men, Lavkush and Govind, from Kandela village.

Rakhi Rana was traced late Sunday night and brought to the health centre on Monday morning for a medical examination. However, the situation took a violent turn, when her brothers, Ravi and Monty, arrived at the spot, armed with a country-made pistol. As Rakhi sat inside a police vehicle, Monty allegedly shot her at point-blank range before fleeing the scene on a motorcycle.

Rakhi was first treated at the CHC and later referred to a district hospital before being shifted to a private facility, where she remains in critical condition. Police said that Rakhi had earlier recorded a statement expressing her wish to stay with the man she had left home with. 

As per reports, Monty has surrendered with the weapon and released a video claiming responsibility. The police have registered an FIR against Monty, while Ravi remains at large.