Fatal shootout: PO kills three policemen, injures 7

Criminal gets safe passage with another SHO as hostage.

HAFIZABAD:

Three policemen including an SHO were killed and seven others were injured on Saturday in a shootout with a proclaimed offender in Hafizabad. The proclaimed offender escaped with another SHO, accompanying him as a hostage. 

Police said Sajjad alias Haji, wanted in several cases of kidnapping for ransom, murder and robbery, took Jalalpur Bhattian SHO Zafar Gondal hostage.

Police said Pindi Bhattian Saddar SHO Syed Arif Hussain was leading a raid to Thatta Raika village to arrest Haji.

Police said when he was asked to surrender, Haji responded by shooting at the police team.



When the police returned the fire, Haji broke into a house in the vicinity and took the residents hostage.

Police said SHO Syed Arif Hussain and Elite Force officials, Riasat Ali and Muhammad Aslam were shot dead when they entered the house. Abid Hussain, Shahid, Qaiser, Nasrullah, Qamar Shah, Zulfiqar and Shahid Iqbal were seriously injured in the exchange of fire.

Former Pindi Bhattian tehsil bar president Qamar Javed and Jalalpur Bhattian SHO Zafar Gondal tried to negotiate the release of the residents being held hostage. Haji agreed and left on a motorcycle taking the SHO with him.

The injured were taken to tehsil headquarters hospital in Pindi Bhattian, district headquarters hospital in Hafizabad and Allied Hospital in Faisalabad. Doctors treating them said the condition of three of the injured was critical.



Police said the bodies of the deceased had been taken to district headquarters hospital for autopsy.

Later, Gujranwala Regional Police Officer Saad Akhtar Bharwana, District Police Officer Muhammad Zubair Drashak, and the Pindi Bhattian and Hafizabad sub-divisional police officers visited the crime scene. They also constituted a team to arrest the outlaw and to rescue SHO Gondal.

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