Two men shot dead in courtroom

Constable Amir allegedly barged into the courtroom and opened fire on victims

LAHORE:

A police constable allegedly shot dead two brothers in the Sessions Court on Friday, police said.

They said that the deceased, Ramzan Ashraf, 40, and his brother, Zeeshan Ashraf, 25, had been brought to the court of sessions judge, Raja Shahid Zameer, for hearing in a murder case against them.

As the statements of the witnesses were being recorded, Constable Amir Venis, who had been wearing his police uniform, allegedly barged into the courtroom and opened fire on the two brothers with his official 9mm pistol.

Ramzan Ashraf and Zeeshan Ashraf died on the spot. Police arrested the suspect.

An ASI, Akram, sustained a bullet injury, but it was not serious. He was treated by Rescue 1122, and his condition was stated to be stable.

Ramzan Ashraf and Zeeshan Ashraf were accused of having killed a brother and a cousin of Constable Amir Venis.

The incident of firing created panic in the courtroom. Taking advantage of the confusion, three other accused, who had been brought to the court for hearing, escaped from police custody.

However, their escape didn’t last long as police managed to re-arrest them.

After the horrific incident of the double-murder inside the court, a large contingent of police from the whole district reached the site. After one-and-a-half hour, police shifted the bodies to the Allied Hospital.

The City Police Officer (CPO), Umar Saeed Malik, told the media that the initial investigation revealed that the accused was a police constable who had been posted at the Batala Colony Police Station.

The CPO said that the constable’s cousin, Constable Irfan, and brother Ali Haider had been allegedly killed by deceased Ramzan Ashraf and Zeeshan Ashraf in the past, and the case was registered in the Saddar Police Station.

There was an enmity between the two parties, said the official.

The official said that Amir Venis went to court in his police uniform because if he had gone there in civilian clothes he would not have been allowed go past the checking process and enter the court.

According to police sources, Rizwan alias Bhola, who was a brother of deceased Ramzan Ashraf and Zeeshan Ashraf, had also been killed by rivals in the past.

The Civil Lines Police Station was investigating into the incident.

In January this year, a man going for the hearing of a murder case and his wife were shot dead while their son was injured after a chase in the Kahna area of Lahore.

The attack took place yards away from the Kahna police station and CIA office.

The attackers reportedly continued firing for about 20 minutes.

Salamat Ali, a resident of Rehan Garden area, his wife Zubeida Bibi, son Atif and daughter Ayesha were going in a car to appear in a court in the morning when the assailants opened fire on their car, killing the couple on the spot.

The victims’ son, Atif Salamat, ran for his life and took refuge in a shop, but the attackers chased him after the double murder and opened fire on him, injuring him severely.

His sister Ayesha took refuge in a madrassa and saved her life.

The killers fled while continuing firing after the attack that lasted about 20 minutes, witnesses said.

Despite the incident taking place in front of Kahna police station, the police arrived on the spot after some time. They gathered evidence from the spot and shifted the bodies to a morgue.

The injured was shifted to hospital, where his condition was stated to be critical.

Speaking to the media, the Model Town Investigation SP said the incident of double murder appeared to be a result of enmity.

A murder-cum-abduction case had been registered against the victim Salamat and his sons and they were going to appear in the hearing when they were attacked.

Both Salamat and his son Atif were on bail, while his other son, Aqib, was in jail.

The official said CCTV footage had been obtained from the location, with the help of which the attackers would soon be arrested.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2022.