In the line of duty: Robbers shoot two police officials dead in Pindi

One of the ‘robbers’ died when he was hit by a van; another policeman and a civilian were injured

RAWALPINDI: Armed robbers shot dead two police officials and injured another while a civilian was also caught in the crossfire here in the small hours  of Sunday, Rawalpindi police sources told The Express Tribune.

Two armed men opened fire on the policemen when they rushed towards them, while robbing a motorcyclist on Peshawar Road near Kohinoor Mills, the sources said.

In the meantime, one of the fleeing robbers also died after being hit by a van. The other robber, however, managed to escape.

The injured were identified as Constable Muhammad Usman and Awais Shah, a passerby.

The bodies and the injured were shifted to the district headquarters hospital (DHQ).

The police later identified the dead robber as Imran Ayub.

According to the sources, Head-constable Nadir Khan Niazi, constables, Muhammad Imran, Muhammad Usman and Khurram of the Muhafiz Squad during a routine patrol on Peshawar Road intercepted a motorcyclist Awais Shah at 3:30am and asked him to show the documents of the bike.

However, Shah could not present the registration book of the bike. While he was being escorted to the Naseerabad Police Station, the police party in the meanwhile, spotted three people scuffling near a bus stop outside Kohinoor Mills and stopped to know the reason behind the fight.

As the policemen stopped near the bus stop, the two armed men who were attempting to rob another man started indiscriminate firing on the police party.

A bullet hit Niazi in the chest and he died on the spot, while constables Imran, Khurram and Awais Shah, the biker, sustained multiple bullet injuries, the police said.

One of the robbers, while trying to cross the busiest Peshawar Road while firing gunshots at the policemen, when a speeding van hit him, injuring the robber. The second robber managed to escape from the scene, the police said.

Rescue 1122 officials shifted the dead and the injured to DHQ hospital. However, the injured robber died on the way and Constable Muhammad Imran was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital, the police said.

Naseerabad Police Station SHO Malik Tahir confirmed the incident, saying that the cops were coming to the police station with the impounded motorbike of Shah when they came under attack.

He said that a case had been registered against the robbers and further investigations were underway.

The SHO said that the man who was being looted by the robbers had also slipped from the scene.

Meanwhile, the funeral prayers of the fallen policemen were offered at the Police Lines.

Regional Police Officer (RPO) Wisal Fakhar Sultan Raja, SP Headquarters Ameer Aslam Niazi, SP Potohar Division Muhammad Ateeque Tahir, DSP Civil Lines Circle Farhan Aslam, and other police officers attended the funeral.

Later, the body of Nadir was sent to his native town in Mianwali and Muhammad Imran’s to Gujar Khan for burial.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 18^th, 2016.