Man dies in police shootout after killing five family members

Police investigating the crime and a possible motive for the murders

BATTAGRAM: A man in the remote district of Battagram murdered five of his family members and later was shot dead by local police during an alleged encounter.

According to sources, the incident happened on Friday morning in Pazang village, located in the Allai valley of the district.

The local police station was informed by one of the family members. The police revealed that the family member said their father had killed five people and have kept eight of them hostage.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, District Police Officer Tariq Duhail Marwat said he led a special police team to raid the house and upon arrival, came under fire from the suspect.

The man was later killed in the shootout, and police recovered an assault rifle from his possession.

The deceased family members include two of the suspect's wives, Gul Raza and Shaheen, his daughter-in-law Khaista, his son Ibrahim and his daughter Tara.

Police claim they tried to arrest him alive but the man would not surrender and attempted to kill the remaining members of his family, which were being kept as hostages.

DPO Marwat said, police have begun their investigation and the reasons behind the actions of the man are yet to be confirmed.

According to local residents, the man suffered from mental illness and became more critical after the Covid-19 outbreak.