Fatal shoot-out: Three Millat Park robbery suspects killed

Police also arrest nine suspected robbers involved in 75 cases

LAHORE: Four suspected robbers, including three accused of the Millat Park robbery, were killed in an ‘encounter’ on Thursday night in the Shahdara area.

The botched Millat Park robbery resulted in the death of five people while another man was injured.

Investigation Officer Sub-Inspector Muhammad Akram said three suspects, identified as Zaheer, Zahid and Jahangir, were on physical remand and were being transported to Sukheki district in Hafizabad to recover snatched valuables.

The police van was on the way back when a car intercepted the vehicle near Saggian Bridge. The gunmen in the vehicle opened indiscriminate fire on the police, which took positions and shot back.

In the ensuing shoot-out, the assailants hit the detained suspects, killing  all of them on the spot.

A gunman from the attackers group was hit by the police’s retaliatory fire and also died. Some of the other attackers were injured but managed to flee the scene. Not a single policeman suffered injuries and only their van was damaged.

FIR No. 2361/16 has been registered against the suspects at the Shahdara police station.

According to initial findings, the deceased suspect from the attacking side was identified as Munawar.

The investigating officer said the man had a criminal history and was wanted in many robbery cases.

Police are investigating the matter further and looking for the remaining gunmen.

Gangland

Police also claimed to have arrested nine suspected bandits involved in 75 robbery bids and seized millions of rupees in cash, 30 tolas of gold and illegal weapons from them.

This was disclosed by SSP Investigations Hassan Mushtaq Sukhera during a press conference at Qila Gujjar Singh police lines on Friday.

Sukhera said six suspects, identified as Nadeem Akhtar alias Judge, Asif, Jawad alias Azeem, Rizwan alias Tanveer, Abul Ghaffar alias Ghari and Shabbir Ali were part of the same gang.

Police recovered cash worth Rs4.5 million, 30 tolas of gold, five pistols and 50 bullets from them.

The other three-member gang included a woman. They would conduct robberies at bakeries and such stores. Suspects Kamran alias Tipu and Rizwan Ali were brothers and worked at one of the bakeries.

They understood the workings of the shop and knew that cash would stay overnight and be collected from the bakery in the morning.

The suspects would reach the bakery in the evening, while Fatima, the wife of Kamran, would deliver the weapons to the scene. The suspects confessed of 41 robbery bids in the metropolis. Police confiscated Rs1 million in cash, helmets, gloves, two pistols and 20 bullets from their possession.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2016.