Suicide or accident? Death of Islamabad police cop shrouded in mystery

Islamabad Police SP Industrial Zone Adeel Akbar allegedly committed suicide while on duty near a private hotel in the high-security Red Zone of the federal capital on Thursday.

According to police sources, SP Akbar was stationed near a private hotel when he reportedly shot himself with his government-issued pistol. Police officials at the scene immediately informed senior officers, and Akbar was rushed to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), where he succumbed to his injuries. Upon receiving information about the incident, IG Islamabad Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi and other senior officials reached PIMS, where doctors confirmed the officer’s death.

A high-level investigation has been launched. Samples have been collected from the body for forensic examination, and the results will form part of the inquiry. Evidence from the scene—including the blood-stained uniform, pistol, and other materials—has been preserved, while the pistol’s fingerprints will be verified through NADRA. Officials present at the scene have also been taken into custody for questioning.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported that SP Akbar sustained critical injuries from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot near Serena Chowk and later died at PIMS. According to APP, police teams immediately reached the site, cordoned off the area, and collected forensic evidence. Senior Islamabad Police officials have initiated a detailed probe into the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.

Police sources described SP Adeel Akbar as a respected officer of the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) who had recently assumed charge as SP Industrial Area. He held an MPhil in Governance and Public Policy from the National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad, and had previously served in several districts of Balochistan, where he gained extensive experience in security management, community policing, human rights protection, counterterrorism, and crisis response.

Known among colleagues for his professionalism, humility, and commitment to duty, his sudden death has deeply saddened officers across the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police and the wider law enforcement community. Authorities said the case is being handled with the utmost sensitivity, and a formal inquiry has been initiated.

The funeral prayers of the deceased officer were offered late Thursday night, and his body was transported to his ancestral village, the Islamabad Police stated on X.