Bhara Kahu hostage drama ends peacefully

An hours-long hostage stand-off ended safely when police overpowered a gunman who had taken two girls hostage at gunpoint after injuring a man at a house in the precincts of Bhara Kahu police station.

The suspect, identified as Qamar, was arrested, the girls were safe and sound, while the condition of the injured man, Muhamamd Fayyaz, was out of danger.

Police said that Qamar had a fight with Muhammad Fayyaz, who made flatbreads at a local tandoor. Fayyaz avoiding the fight rushed to his home, which was nearby and hid inside.

However, Qamar in a fit of rage chased Fayyaz, broke the door, barged into the house and shot Fayyaz multiple times with a pistol. Neighbours hearing the gunshots and the commotion, rushed in and rescued Fayyaz, but could not get hold of Qamar who was threatening to shoot everyone who comes near him.

The locals shifted d the injured to Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital, but back inside the house, there was a hostage situation.

Hostage Standoff

The suspect, finding no place to escape in the densely populated area with narrow lanes held Fayyaz’s two girls hostage at gunpoint.

The locals tried to talk him out of it but he kept saying that he would kill the girls. Upon receiving information, Bhara Kahu police station SHO Habibur Rehman reached the site with a police force armed with sub-machine guns.

As usual, the SHO repeated the lines, “you are surrounded, come out and surrender.”

Despite repeated warnings, the suspect refused to release the hostages and surrender. Realising that rushing in could harm the children, SHO Rehman sought backup from Anti-terrorist Squad (ATS). Meanwhile, the whole district police were on alert and City Police Officer Ahsan Yonus was monitoring the situation.

The ATS team, including sharpshooters equipped with laser mounted sniper rifles, were there, but the problem remained, no harm should come to children.

Rawalpindi police operations head SSP Mustafa Tanveer and other officers had reached the location too.

Using a megaphone, police offered the suspect to hold dialogue. However, Qamar made a strange request, “I will only talk to a renowned journalist to state my demands.”

Operation SSP stepped close to the door of the small house and introduced himself as a journalist and asked the suspect about his demands.

The suspect went furious, “you are a cop. I want to talk to a journalist,” he said.

SP Saddar Humza Humayon and SHO Rehman meanwhile inched closer to Qamar and started talking to him. They were trying to spend time so that the suspect gets tired and breaks down.

They kept talking and moving closer and closer to the suspect, minutes ticked by into hours and he started showing signs of fatigue.

They were waiting for the precise moment and as soon as they got the chance, Rehman grabbed the suspect’s pistol and Humayon overpowered him.

On contact, Barakahu SHO told that the girls were rescued safely. He added that the suspect seemed a drug addict while the police were investigating the matter.