Wanted gangster killed along with accomplice

Citizen injured during crossfire succumbs to injuries

RAWALPINDI:

A most wanted and notorious robber was killed along with his accomplice during a joint operation carried out by the Islamabad police and the Intelligence Bureau in Ilyas Colony within Naseerabad police station jurisdiction.

The slain robber, Bilal Sabit, was wanted by the police in several cases including the killing of police personnel and two officials of an intelligence agency.

A case of the encounter has been registered on a complaint of Islamabad’s Ramna Police Station House Officer Shahid Zaman. A civilian, who was also wounded during the exchange of fire between law enforcement agencies and the notorious gangster and his accomplice, succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

Bilal Sabit was involved in an attack on the additional IG motorway and in the killing of two IB officers, four policemen and an SHO. He had also snatched the car of former prime minister's Principal Secretary Azam Khan.

The accused had been dodging and become a challenge for the police of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Murder, attempted murder, police resistance and other charges were included against the notorious robbers in an FIR filed at the Naseerabad police station.

According to the latest FIR, Bilal Sabit snatched a vehicle from the Ramna area of Islamabad four days ago and he was roaming with his accomplices while the police were chasing the vehicle.

Bilal Sabit used to park the snatched and stolen vehicles at his whereabouts in the Naseerabad area. The Naseerabad police station SHO traced the whereabouts of the accused. When the police reached Ilyas Colony, the slain robber and his accomplices started firing as soon as they saw the police. A constable was shot but remained unharmed because of his bulletproof vest.

The FIR stated that the accused was told to surrender multiple times but instead he continued to fire, leaving two passers-by injured as well.

Police said that two accomplices escaped under the cover of fire while the accused Bilal Sabit and his accomplice Imtiaz Langra were shot dead by their accomplices.

Police recovered an M4 gun from the vehicle used by Bilal Sabit, SMG and other ammunition from Imtiaz Langra. The accused kept firing at the officers with these weapons. Police also seized the vehicle used by the accused and shifted it to the Naseerabad police station.

According to police officials, Bilal Sabit was wanted by the twin cities' police in connection with several robberies and car snatching cases.

Last year, Bilal Sabit and his accomplices opened fire on the additional IG motorway police near Fateh Jhang toll plaza, in which he was seriously injured while his brother, an 18th-grade officer, was killed.

According to the police, accused Bilal Sabit also committed a robbery at senator Nuzhat Sadiq's home. Police struggled to apprehend him for the last two years. The accused had a history of committing robberies and stealing cars by openly challenging police officers.

Police shifted the bodies of the two accused to the DHQ hospital for a post-mortem.

According to the police, citizen Ayaz, who was injured by the accused during the intelligence-based operation, passed away in hospital. The body has been handed over to his heirs after completing a post-mortem, the police said.

Sources said that the families of the two slain robbers have not yet been contacted to hand over the bodies.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2022.