Lawyer killed in drive-by shooting in Rawalpindi
A lawyer was killed in an incident of alleged targeted killing within the limits of Civil Lines Police Station on Monday.
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the killing.
Advocate Sheikh Imran, a lawyer of Rawalpindi District Bar, was shot dead by unidentified suspects in the Dheri Hassanabad area while he was driving his children to school.
The deceased sustained two bullets to his head which proved fatal, the sources added. According to police, the deceased was enrolled in the Rawalpindi District Bar as an advocate but also practised in Islamabad.
The victim was going to drop his children off at school in a private vehicle on Monday morning when unidentified bike-riding suspects targeted him in a drive-by shooting near Alif Shah Cemetery. The suspects fled after the shooting.
According to a preliminary investigation, the slain lawyer belonged to the Shaikh community in Hassanabad.
A large number of locals gathered at the spot after the firing incident while eyewitnesses said that the deceased's children, clad in school uniforms, were also present in the car.
Soon after the incident was reported, teams of Rescue 1122 arrived at the scene followed by heavy contingents of police.
The rescue teams said that the bullets which hit Imran's head proved to be fatal and added that the death occurred due to excessive bleeding.
Meanwhile, police said that a mobile forensic laboratory was called to collect forensic evidence while the investigation officers of the Civil Lines Police Station also collected evidence from the spot including the spent bullet shells.
The body of the deceased was transferred to the District Headquarters Hospital for post-mortem in the Rescue 1122 ambulance in the presence of the police.
The police have also started collecting footage of the CCTV cameras installed near the crime scene.
A spokesperson for the Rawalpindi Police said that CPO Syed Shahzad Nadeem Bukhari has taken notice of the incident and sought a report of the incident from SP Pothohar besides ordering the immediate arrest of the accused involved in the tragic incident.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2023.