Shoot-out: Robbery-hijacking bid foiled

Highwaymen boarded the bus and snatched Rs20,000 from passengers, before commandeering the vehicle.

JHELUM:

A passenger coach was hijacked at gunpoint by seven highwaymen, including three serving army men, in the Lillah area of Jhelum, late on Monday night.

The highwaymen boarded the bus and snatched Rs20,000 from the passengers, before commandeering the vehicle with the passengers still on board.

After Lillah Police Station was alerted of the hijacking, the Jhelum police, under the command of Jhelum District Police Officer Tayyab Hafeez Cheema, began chasing the bus.

The hijackers opened fire on the police, to which police also replied. After intense firing from both sides, the police finally succeeded in forcing the hijackers to surrender. All of them were arrested and the passengers and looted money were recovered safely.

Police arrested Farooq, Amir, Zafar Iqbal, Shehzad Ashraf, Irfan, Ehsaan, Khawar with seven pistols and hundreds of rounds in their possession.

Later it was disclosed that three of these culprits Zafar Iqbal, Shehzad Ashraf and Ehsaan, are serving in the Pakistan Army and are presently on leave.

This gang was involved in a number of earlier robberies and had been caused severe problems for local people and the police for many weeks. This was the second police encounter in a week.

The people of Lillah thanked the Jhelum DPO for his prompt action and heaved a collective sigh of relief at the arrest of the notorious gang of criminals.



Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2011.