Escaped murderer kills again, rivals respond in kind

Jerawar murdered his rival Dasti and Dasti’s family killed his stepbrother in turn.

DERA GHAZI KHAN: Police officials have registered separate cases against a proclaimed offender who escaped police custody as well as his rivals.

On Friday, a proclaimed offender Abbas Jerawar escaped police custody and attempted to kidnap the daughter of former naib nazim Iftikhar Dasti. Jerawar had kidnapped Dasti’s older daughter three months ago and murdered three people in the process. He was caught by police officials and detained in the Kot Mubarak police station.

According to police officials, in DG Khan tehsil Shah Sadruddin, a proclaimed offender Abbas Jerawar had a long standing rivalry with the former naib nazim Dasti and several clashes between the families have been reported by residents of the area. Three months ago Jerawar had kidnapped one of Dasti’s daughters and killed three members of his family in an armed encounter. “The girl is still missing and we do not even know if she is still alive,” said Kot Mubarak SHO Choudhary Azhar. “We questioned Jerawar but he did not divulge her location and after conducting an inquiry two police men have been expelled on suspicion of having assisted him in escaping.”

The SHO said that the police department had fired a constable and inspector for having colluded with Jerawar.

On Friday, Jerawar escaped police custody and attempted to abduct Dasti’s younger daughter as well when villagers chased him out of the area.

Jerawar shot and killed former naib nazim Dasti in the encounter that ensued and fled the area.

Several members of the Dasti clan then charged upon Jerawar’s house and killed his step brother Majeed Jerawar in Rasheedabad near Pildat. The crowd also set his house on fire and protested in front of the DCO’s office.

Police officials have registered two cases. Kot Mubarak police registered a case against the Dasti family for Majeed’s murder and have added another count of murder to Jerawar’s existing record. Police officials said that they were searching for Jerawar’s whereabouts but suspected that he was being provided shelter by locals in the village.

“The entire village is on red alert and a large police contingent is deployed at the scene,” the SHO said.

DG Khan MNA Awais Leghari has condemned the incident and given a two-day deadline to police officials for locating the accused. “If Jerawar is not in lock up within two days I will lead a protest of over a thousand people and we will camp outside of the DCO’s office,” Leghari said.

Jerawar’s family has refused to comment on Majeed’s murder.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2011.