Police instructor killed over personal enmity

ISLAMABAD: A police instructor of Punjab Constabulary (PC) was brutally shot to death on Tuesday near his residence in Jandala village, in the outskirts of the city. Inspector Raja Zahoor received a volley of bullets when he was fired upon by three of his close relatives.

Police claimed that old enmity over personal issues was the reason behind the murder. Sihala police said murder cases had been registered against Nasir, Ansar and Tehseen, while another person was booked for being involved in the planning of the murder. However, no arrests were made till the filing of this report.

Raja Zahoor, a resident of Jandala Village, was waiting for his office vehicle near a shop close to his residence on Sunday morning, from where he was headed to the Punjab Constabulary Training School near Rawat.

Meanwhile, his assailants, who were aware of his routine, were hiding near-by. The three armed men suddenly appeared from nowhere and opened fire at him. As a result, he died instantly.

By the time police reached the spot, the murderers had fled the area.

His dead body was later shifted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) for post mortem.

“There were multiple bullet wounds on his body. Almost every organ inside his body was completely destroyed,” said an official from the hospital who conducted the post mortem.

He also said that Zahoor was fired at from different directions since the entry and exit wounds were found on all sides of his body. The post mortem also suggested that Zahoor was not fired at from a close range.

Police said that the incident took place at a busy place and the statements of all possible eyewitnesses had been recorded. Efforts to arrest the assailants were also underway.

“The three accused Nasir, Ansar and Tehseen had gone underground after committing the murder,” said a police official.

“I cannot believe someone can kill such a nice person in this brutal manner,” said a former colleague of Zahoor.

Zahoor was about to retire from police service in a few days.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18^th, 2010.