Man kills five family members

Police kill suspect in encounter as he turned his gun on eight other hostages

BATTAGRAM: A man in Battagram district on Friday murdered five members of his family. He was later killed in an alleged police encounter.

The incident took place on Friday morning in the Pazang village of hilly Allai valley of Battagram. A member of the family told local police that the man had killed five people and was keeping another eight hostages.

Battagram District Police Officer (DPO) Tariq Marwat told The Express Tribune that he led a special police squad to raid the house. Marwat said that when they arrived at the spot, the man allegedly started firing at the police.

In a subsequent exchange of fire, the police killed the man and recovered his Kalashnikov. Marwat said that they had asked the man to surrender but as he turned the gun on the remaining hostages, they took action.

The man’s victims were identified as Gup Raza and Shaheen, his two wives, daughter-in-law Khaista, son Ibrahim and daughter Tara.

Marwat said that they have launched an investigation into the incident but have yet to determine the reasons for the man’s actions. Locals told The Express Tribune that the man suffered from mental health issues which had exacerbated after the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2020.