Businessman shot dead while chasing carjackers

Robbers open fire after victim spots his stolen vehicle on Jaranwala Road

FAISALABAD:

A businessman was shot dead while pursuing men who had taken away his vehicle from outside Chenab Club before abandoning it near Chak 215-RB on Jaranwala Road, police said.

Police from Civil Lines and Sadar police stations reached the scene after receiving reports of the carjacking and murder. They took custody of the body and the vehicle and launched an investigation.

City Police Officer Tanveer Hussain took notice of the incident and sought a detailed report from Iqbal Town SP Saeed Ahmed.

According to the FIR registered at Civil Lines police station on the complaint of Muhammad Hassan Ashraf, his brother, businessman Muhammad Rehan Ashraf, had gone for a meal with companions Muhammad Ikram and Muhammad Amjad in an Islamabad-registered vehicle.

They handed the vehicle over to a valet parking attendant before entering the club.

Shortly afterwards, they began receiving notifications from the vehicle's tracking system indicating that it was being switched on and off.

When they went to the parking area to check, the vehicle and the attendant were missing.

Hassan said they immediately contacted the tracking company and informed Rescue 15. They then pursued the vehicle in a pickup, using its tracking location.

The vehicle was traced near a bank on Jaranwala Road, close to the power station in Chak 215-RB, where traffic had slowed because of the construction of an overhead bridge near a super store.

When Rehan spotted the vehicle, he approached it and called out to the suspects, asking where they were taking his car.

The suspects allegedly opened fire, hitting Rehan in the right side of his neck. He fell to the ground as the assailants fled, abandoning the vehicle and brandishing their weapons, according to the complaint.

Rehan was being taken to hospital when he succumbed to his injuries on the way.

Senior police officials and personnel from Civil Lines and Sadar police stations reached the scene and began legal proceedings.