four men accused in the ruthless Hyderabad rape and murder case have been killed in a Police encounter at Shadnagar.

As per sources, the four accused were shot dead by police early Friday morning on NH-44 near Hyderabad -- the same highway where the charred body of 26-year-old Disha was found.

Sources said the rape and murder accused were taken to the crime scene for recreation of the scene at around 3 am. The accused allegedly tried to escape following which police opened fire.

"4 accused in Hyderabad rape-murder case killed in crossfire in wee hours today," Cyberabad police Commissioner V C Sajjanar was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

The 26-year-old veterinary doctor was smothered, raped and then burnt by four men night and her body was found the next day on November 28 under a culvert on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru national highway.

According to the Cyberabad police, the four accused had punctured the rear wheel of her scooter, offered to help her, dragged her to a secluded spot close to a toll plaza and raped her. It said the victim died due to suffocation and the accused later burnt her body.

The Cyberabad police had arrested four men on November 29 in connection with their involvement in the rape and murder case.

The accused were identified as Mohammad Areef, Jollu Shiva, Jollu Naveen, and Chintakunta Chennakeshavulu. Mohammad Areef (25), who worked as a driver, was the prime accused in the case.

The four accused in the gruesome gangrape and murder of a woman veterinarian doctor had been sent to judicial custody for 14 days.