Encounter: Murder accused shot dead in shootout with police

Waheed Qureshi, a proclaimed offender was killed, while his two accomplices escaped.

RAWALPINDI:

The Rawalpindi police, on Wednesday, killed a man wanted for multiple murders in an encounter after he and his accomplices opened fire on the raiding team in the city’s outskirts.

The police team headed by Station House Officer Raja Shakeel Ahmed raided Waheed Qureshi’s hideout, the main accused, in the wee hours, on a tip-off. The police succeeded in killing the proclaimed offender (PO) in an encounter which lasted over two hours but his two unknown accomplices managed to escape from the scene.

Potohar Superintendent of Police (SP) Haroon Joya said that Waheed and three other proclaimed offenders were wanted in a murder case registered with Civil Lines police in August last year.

The SP said as soon as the raiding party reached close to the hideout in Thalian, a locality falling in the jurisdiction of Saddar Bairuni police, they were fired upon by the wanted men. When the lead car of the police was fired upon multiple times, the police retaliated which led to an exchange of fire, SP Joya added.



Waheed’s accomplices escaped from the scene in the crossfire, but he was killed. Even though the police combed the area with the elite force, dividing it into six sections, comprising 10 men for each section for over two hours, they could not arrest the two men believed to be POs as well, the SP said.

According to the Civil Lines police, Waheed was the main accused in a murder case in which six men including four brothers were killed. Last August, four brothers Suleman Qureshi, 52, Pervez Qureshi, 50, Javaid Qureshi, 42 and Aurangzeb Qureshi, 37, along with Adnan Qureshi, 20, son of Pervez, and their nephew Nadeem Qureshi, 22, were shot dead allegedly by Waheed and his accomplices.



The four brothers, who were working in Kuwait had come home to celebrate Eidul Fitr. They were shot while trying to mediate a compromise after some boys from their family quarrelled over a game of football with the POs’ relatives.

Before proceeding towards the designated place for a negotiation, Waheed stopped to talk to Javaid and his brothers in the street. During the discussions Waheed and his accomplices got infuriated and shot dead the six men, according to Civil Lines police.

So far, the police has arrested nine accused in the case while four including Waheed were declared POs. Waheed’s wife was also arrested but she later obtained bail from the terrorism court.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2013.