Fatal shooting: Five killed in foiled kidnap attempt

Four others shot dead over disputes.

SARGODHA/ HAFIZABAD:

Five men were killed in Jalalpur Bhattian in Hafizabad on Monday in an exchange of fire between some villagers and two men trying to kidnap a 12-year-old boy. Both of the suspected kidnappers were among the killed.

The shootout took place in the Dhariwal village, where, police said, two unidentified men had tried to take Muhammad Abbas’s son.

Some villagers saw the men drag the boy into a car and ran to his rescue. On seeing the men draw close, one of the robbers shot at them, killing two of them.



One of the villagers, who said he had brought his pistol along after hearing some men call for help, shot back, killing both.

Six villagers were injured in the shootout and taken to district headquarters hospital, where one of them later succumbed to his injuries. The rest were later reported to be out of danger.

While the kidnappers remained unidentified, the deceased villagers were identified as Mohammad Abbas, Altaf Hussain and Nasarullah.  The injured were: Yar Muhamaad, Sanaullah, Muhammad Afzal, Ahmed Ali and Rehmat Ali.

The boy remained unharmed and was handed over to the family.

A case was registered against the deceased. Muhammad Abbas said he suspected that some old rivals were involvement in the incident. Gujranwala regional police officer visited the crime scene and ordered investigation into the incident.



Land dispute

Two men were killed in an exchange of fires between rivals groups over a land dispute in Kot Raja on the outskirts of Kot Momin.

Police said Ghulam Hussain and Muhammad Yar had been old rivals. Both the men had had a dispute involving possession of an agricultural land.

On Monday, police said, men from both sides shot at each other, killing Khizar Hayat of the Hussain group and Muhammad Arshad of the Yar group on the spot. Kot Momin sent the bodies for post-mortem examination.

Police said cases had been registered against Jahangir, Mumtaz, Muhammad Arshad and Aslam of the Yar group on Hussain’s complaint, and against Zafar, Ejaz, Mukhtar, Umar Khizar and their 10 unidentified accomplices.

No one had been arrested.

Son kills Father

In Sargodha, a man was shot dead allegedly by his 15-year-old son over a family dispute. Police said Naveed, a resident of bin Habib village, shot his father Musheer Ali after he reprimanded him over studies. The family said the boy went out of the house. He returned after some time and shot his father, killing him. Police said the boy has been missing.

Unidentified assailants

In Chak 57-North, some visitors shot a man dead at his house.

Police said Malik Laal Khan was shot as soon as he opened the door after somebody knocked. Before his family rushed to the door, the assailants had fled. The family said they suspected old rivals.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2013.