Fatal encounter: 7 ‘suspects’ killed in two shootouts

Five were killed in Sadiqabad and two in Liaqatpur ‘after a robbery’.

BAHAWALPUR:

As many as seven robbery suspects were shot and killed in, what the police claimed were, two shootouts in Liaqatpur and Sadiqabad on Monday.

Of these, five were killed by Ahmedpur Lama police in Sadiqabad early on Monday morning after they had allegedly escaped Tabassum Shaheed police’s custody on Sunday night.

The other two were killed by Tabassum Shaheed police in the Sunday night encounter.

Ahmedpur Lama Station House Officer Akhtar Abass said the five suspects were killed in a shootout at Ghullam Rasool area Shahbaz Chowk, Sadiqabad. The police had raided the place on a tip off about the presence of the suspects.

The SHO said Tabassum Shaheed police had identified the deceased as Akhter, a resident of Multan; Hameed, a resident of Ghotki; and Irshad, Ashiq and Azam of Khanpur.

He said there was no criminal record on these men and suggested that the Tabassum Shaheed police may have been misled.

He said the bodies had been sent to Shaikh Zayed Hospital for autopsy.

Some men watering their fields near the encounter site in Ahmedpur Lama told the Tribune that they had not heard any gunshots.

The deceased had escaped from Tabassum Shaheed police’ custody after two of their alleged accomplices were shot and killed in another shootout.

SHO Ishaq Ahmed said the seven men had robbed one Sufi Bahoo Iqbal of his belongings in Chak 45/A Abbasia in Liaqatpur on Sunday night. He said police were informed about the robbery by some neighbours. “Two of the suspects were killed during a shootout following the robbery,” he said. He said the five others were arrested.

He said 10 tola gold jewellery, Rs10,000 in cash and a cell phone were recovered from the suspects and handed over to Iqbal.

He said they later overpowered two constables, snatched their guns and escaped in a car they later robbed from a civilian.

Tabassum Shaheed police registered four FIRs against the deceased. These were:  robbery, snatching arms from two constables, shootout with police and car snatching.

Ahmedpur Lama police later also registered an FIR against the five suspects they killed in the encounter.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2012.