Say suspects had killed constable while robbing Sector I-8/3 house. PHOTO: FILE
This was disclosed by Islamabad Police Operations SSP Waqaruddin Syed in a news conference on Tuesday.
Constable Waseem Ziyad, who was part of the Falcon Force, had responded to a call about an armed burglary in Sector I-8/3 on December 31, along with his partner Constable Muhammad Arif.
On patrol in the vicinity, the two cops had arrived outside the house in question just minutes after the call came through on the police helpline 15, without any backup. On seeing the cops arrive, the dacoits opened fire, killing Ziyad on the spot and injuring Arif.
The robbers managed to flee, but not before they snatched a motorbike from a passerby, injuring him as well.
SSP Syed said that a team from the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA), headed by Investigation SP Syed Mustafa Tanveer, was assigned the task to track and arrest the culprits.
The team finally managed to apprehend the six-member gang. The suspected gang members were identified as Aijaz Khan alias Lala who hails from Tarnol, Muhammad Ehtisham alias Choochi From Saidqabad, Shahab Shah alias Akbar from Bara Kahu and Shah Fahad, Ismail and Ghazi Shah alias Boxer who hail from Khayaban-e Sir Syed area.
Four of the men, police officials said, were Afghan nationals.
Police recovered 20 stolen mobile phones, four stolen motorbikes, prize bonds, a laptop, five pistols and 36 bullets from them.
SSP Syed said that during the investigation, they discovered that the gang was involved in a number of criminal activities in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, including the murder of another cop in the Pirwadhai area of Rawalpindi — parts of which straddle Sector I-10 of Islamabad.
Further, they had killed a mobile shop owner after he resisted them during a robbery in Sadiqabad. The gang was also involved in several robberies, including the home of a Chinese national, in Sectors I-10, I-8/4, I-10/2, I-10/1 and Sohan.
They were also booked in five cases at the Industrial Area police station.
SSP Syed claimed that the suspects had confessed to their crimes during questioning, including mugging several citizens on IJP Road, Sectors I-9, I-10, Highway, Sadiqabad, New Town, Pirwadhai, Race Course and the areas around the airport.
He added that the suspects had confessed to around 60 to 70 robberies. Further investigations, he said, were underway.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2019.
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