Accomplices kill wanted criminal during shootout in Balochistan, claim police

Punjab police say suspect was being taken for recovery of weapons when 'police vehicle was ambushed'

LAHORE:

Hakim Harwani, an alleged criminal arrested for abduction and smuggling of weapons, was killed during a shootout by a gunshot fired by one of his accomplices in Katch area of Balochistan, said Punjab Police at a press conference on Thursday.

A police spokesperson said that Harwani was a resident of Umerkot and was part of the Fayyaz Dalani gang, adding that he was a wanted criminal and was arrested from Rakhni, Barkhan district, by the Punjab Police in an intelligence-based operation.

He was also wanted in a murder case connected with an abduction in Rojhan tehsil, according to Rajanpur district police officer.

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The Rajanpur DPO told the media that Harwani was being taken to Katch area on Wednesday night to trace other suspects and recover weapons when his accomplices opened fire at the police party from behind the hills near Miranpur River in a bid to rescue Harwani. A shootout broke out between the police and dacoits of Katch, said the DPO.

After the firing subsided and a search operation was initiated, the police found Harwani’s body in the sugarcane fields said the DPO, adding that a police mobile was also damaged during the shootout.

The deceased suspect’s body was shifted to the Rojhan District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) for a post-mortem.

According to police records, Harwani was implicated in 21 criminal cases including murder, robbery and kidnapping for ransom said the DPO.

The Punjab Police spokesperson added that the suspect killed two people on resistance at a shop in Rojhan during an attempted abduction bid in which he was accompanied by Fayyaz Dalani and Abu Bakr Dalani.

The case against Harwani was registered at Rojhan Police Station. He was also accused of opening fire at the police during a raid in the Lund area.