Murder accused shot dead outside district court

Victim was to be presented in court over illegal possession of firearm

LAHORE: A person accused of murder, set to appear before a magistrate, was shot dead by an armed assailant in Katchery on Monday.

The victim, Aslam alias Achi, was arrested by police for committing murder. Police were set to present him to the court for illegal possession of a firearm on Monday.

However, while police were taking the accused to court, an armed assailant intercepted them, firing several bullets. Aslam died on the spot as a result of his injuries.

However, police and locals managed to catch the assailant who was later identified as Qasim Raza.

Police have shifted the deceased’s body to the morgue for an autopsy. Authorities also collected forensic evidence from the scene of the crime and recorded eye witness statements.



After the incident, the deceased’s relatives and family members staged a protest outside the court, questioning and blaming the police’s inability to provide them with justice.

Police IG took notice of the incident and directed relevant authorities to investigate the incident.

Aslam and his accomplices had opened fire at a wedding ceremony in January, killing three people. One of the victims was the nephew of MPA Saiful Malook. After the incident, the accused had fled to Balochistan.

This is not the first time a person on trial has been killed outside court. In January, two victims, including an accused set to appear before the court and a police constable, were also shot dead while in February, two lawyers were killed while another was injured when an individual opened firing due to a property dispute.

*with additional input from APP 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2018.