Torture, robbery suspect held after police ‘encounter’

Police say accomplice, real brother of arrested accused, managed to escape

RAWALPINDI:

The Rawalpindi police claimed to have arrested one of the two robbers who allegedly tortured a female teacher and snatched away valuables, including gold jewellery, from her two days ago in the Hukamdad area within the limits of Waris Khan police station.

During a serious incident of robbery in the Hukamabad area of Waris Khan police station, armed robbers had plucked gold earrings from the ears of a woman and snatched away other ornaments while leaving her injured on Monday.

In the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the incident, which had gone viral on social media, the armed motorcyclists were seen beating the female victim at gunpoint and snatching the gold rings from her hands before kicking her and fleeing from the spot.

According to a spokesperson for the police, the suspect was apprehended after an encounter with the police while his accomplice managed to escape. During the preliminary investigation, the accused confessed to the crime and told the police that the accomplice was his real brother.

The spokesperson said the bandits involved in the serious incident fired on a police party late at night and during the retaliatory firing, one of the robbers was arrested in an injured condition while the other managed to escape.

“The injured robber was identified as Hamza from whose possession a pistol and a used motorcycle were recovered,” the spokesperson said. “When the police signalled two suspicious motorcyclists to stop, they opened fire on the police,” he added.

On the information of the incident, senior police officers arrived on the spot, he said and added that a search was on to arrest the absconding suspect. The injured bandit was shifted to the hospital for medical treatment while important revelations were expected during the investigation.

The spokesperson went on to say that the arrest of the accused and his accomplice was a challenge for the police. He hoped that the absconding suspect would also be arrested very soon.

On the other hand, CPO Syed Khalid Hamdani visited the house of the female victim. The DSP and SHO Waris Khan also accompanied Hamdani. The CPO handed over the mobile phone and gold jewellery recovered from the arrested robber to the victim. The CPO met the family of the victim and apprised them of the progress of the investigation in the case.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 31^st, 2023.