Four policemen shot dead near Quetta

They were on a routine patrol on the outskirts of provincial capital.

QUETTA: At least four policemen were killed by gunmen in a drive-by shooting on the outskirts of Quetta on Sunday, police said.

According to the police, four policemen were patrolling the Bakra Mandi area of the Eastern Bypass when unidentified assailants riding a motorcycle opened fire.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Saryab Sikandar Tareen confirmed that four policemen had been gunned down by unidentified men.

“Two gunmen riding a motorcycle opened fire on a police mobile van, killing three policemen,” senior local police official, Sikandar Tareen said, adding that the incident happened while the policemen were on a routine patrol in the area.

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Quetta Mir Zubair Mehmood and DIG Investigation visited the crime scene and told reporters that the assailants were on foot when they opened fire on the police, adding that they escaped from the scene on a motorcycle.

Another local police official Abdul Qayyum also confirmed the incident and the casualties.

The deceased were identified as Constable Abdullah Mengal, Shahjehan, Abdullah Pirkani and Mumtaz Sarpara.

There was no claim of responsibility for the latest incident till the filing of this report.

More than 50 people have been killed in target killings and bomb blast in the provincial capital in June. The shooting comes a day after gunmen on motorcycles shot dead eight men at a laundry in a busy area of Quetta, the capital of oil- and gas-rich Balochistan province, before fleeing.

Published in The Express Tribune, 25^th, 2012.