Gangster freed from police custody by accomplices

Islamabad police form teams to arrest absconding suspects

ISLAMABAD:

A notorious gangster, who is wanted by the capital police in several robbery, murder and rape cases, escaped from custody after his armed accomplices ambushed and opened fire on a police vehicle, which was carrying him to a site to recover arms.

Sources said that Farhan alias Samba, a symbol of fear and terror in the federal capital, was arrested by police for illegally occupying a house in Ghauri Town Phase-IV.

The sources said that while the police were taking him to a location to recover a Kalashnikov, when Samba’s alleged armed accomplices, who were hiding in an under-construction house, opened fire on the double-cabin vehicle of police when it reached the spot and burst its tyres.

Shocked and stunned by the ambush, the police officials in the vehicle barely managed to save their lives from the onslaught of the armed assailants. The suspected gangster while taking advantage of the chaos on the scene escaped along with shackles and his accomplices while the police officials took refuge to save their own lives.

Meanwhile, the police have formed teams that reportedly initially conducted raids in various parts of the federal capital to arrest the notorious gangster and his accomplices.

According to sources, on a tip-off that the suspects were hiding in the Bara Kahu area of Islamabad, police raided several hideouts, but they could make any arrests during the search operation conducted after cordoning off the entire area.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad police inspector-general has ordered the DIG operations to arrest the fleeing gangster and directed an investigation into the episode.

A police official wishing anonymity said that the suspect had killed a man within the limits of Sabzi Mandi police station but his family did not lodge an FIR, fearing reprisal from the gangster.

He said that the Sabzi Mandi police also did not register the FIR of the murder against the culprit despite the incident happening in their jurisdiction.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2022.