People’s ‘justice’: ‘Robber, shot dead, two accomplices survive lynch mob

Police say the deceased was proclaimed offender.

FAISALABAD:

A man was shot and beaten to death while two alleged accomplices in a botched robbery were beaten up on Sunday in the Batala Colony area.

Amir Gujjar, Afzal’s son, said four armed men had entered Muhammad Afzal Gujjar’s house on Street No 4 in Haseeb Shaheed Colony on Sunday morning and held up the family.

“I and my brother, Naveed, were sleeping when I was aroused by a gunshot,” said Amir, recently recruit as an ASI.

“I picked up my gun and rushed down. I saw four men holding up my father. One had put a gun to my father’s head. I shot him,” he said.

He said neighbours had already gathered outside the house so that two of the robbers were caught when they stepped outside, Amir said. However, one of the men managed to flee on a motorcycle.

They were given a thrashing by the people, Amir Gujjar said. “The man who had been shot died during the beating. The other two fainted.

The beating went on for over 40 minutes. It stopped only when police arrived.”

Police then took custody of the two men and the body of the third.

The deceased was identified as Irfan, a resident of Elahiabad.

Those arrested are Wajid Ali, a resident of Mohammadi Mohallah in Nawan Shehr in Jhang and Kashif Ahmad, a resident of Chak 200-JB.

They later identified their missing accomplice as Adnan, another resident of Elahiabad.

Batala Colony SHO Umar Draz Khan said Irfan was a proclaimed offender and was wanted for a number of robberies. “We have recovered four pistols and 64 bullets from the men,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16^th, 2012.