He said that the police should have considered that the suspect could be armed. PHOTO: FILE
Police are still groping in the dark to arrest a proclaimed offender, who killed an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) during a raid at a hideout on Monday.
The suspect, Raheel, a resident of Waris Khan, is wanted by the police for murder and other heinous crimes. He was reportedly hiding in a house in Mukha Singh Estate, when a 14-member police party botched an attempt to arrest him.
According to reports, as the police party entered the house, the suspect opened fire on them, killing ASI Imran Khalid on the spot.
Eyewitnesses to the incident have another story to tell.
A resident of the area, requesting anonymity, claimed that the policemen fled the house when the suspect fired on them.
According to him, the ASI, who was reportedly in civvies, received multiple shots and died on the spot.
Muhammad Irfan, a retired soldier who lives in the neighbourhood, said that the ASI lost his life due poor strategy on the part of the police. “The policemen should have put on protective gear before conducting the raid, but some of them were in civvies,” he said.
“The policemen were over-confident, thinking that the suspect would be alone and they would easily lay their hands on him,” he said, adding that the casualty could have been avoided if the police had properly planned the raid.
The ASI died due to excessive blood loss, when his colleagues left him lying in a pool of blood after the attack, he added.
When contacted, Waris Khan Police Station House Officer Raja Rasheed said that the incident was a tragedy for the entire force. “We have formed a team and the suspect will be arrested soon,” he claimed.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 28th, 2013.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ