Extra-judicial killing: Two killed ‘in police encounter’, family to protest

Family demands that DPO initiate inquiry.

BAHAWALPUR:

Two men, said to be robbers, were killed on Tuesday in what the police called a shootout.

Police said three of their accomplices fled.

Family of the deceased said the encounter as staged.

Kot Samba police said the men were fleeing after a robbery. They said they had recovered gold jewellery, a motorcycle and other stolen goods from the ones killed in the firing.

They were identified as Nadir Lashari and Tariq Chohan. The bodies were sent for a post-mortem examination.



Police said they received a call from Muhammad Akbar, a resident of Chak 97-NP, about a robbery at his house. He said five men had held up his family and taken away Rs100,000, a motorcycle, gold jewellery, a mobile phone and some home appliances.

Police said they cordoned off the area and chased the robbers. On seeing the police team draw closer, one of the robbers shot at them. The police shot back, killing two of them.



The other three fled.

Talking to The Express Tribune, father of one of the deceased men, said that the encounter was staged. He said his son, Chohan, had been implicated in a false robbery case but had been proven innocent a few days ago. He said on Monday, Kot Samba police took his son and the other man from their houses and killed them in Nawan Kot. He said they later presented the killing as an encounter. He demanded that the district police officer take notice of the incident and order an inquiry into the extra judicial killing. He warned of protest against the police if the incident was not probed.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2013.