Punjab police upholds the ‘murder and parade’ tradition

GUJRANWALA: Gujranwala police paraded the bodies of two wanted criminals after killing them in a raid, on Monday.

The police convoy was showered with petals on Katcheri Chowk, Wazirabad and GT Road. Following the parade, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Gujranwala Police Zulfiqar Ahmad Cheema in a press conference praised the policemen who conducted the raid. He also announced cash rewards for them.

Ahmadi Nat and one of his accomplices had earlier escaped a raid in Faisalabad. The last incursion was carried out after getting a tip -ff about Nat’s presence in Ghakhar Mandi, Wazirabad, according to the police. Police have claimed that both Nat and his accomplice opened fire on the police instead of surrendering and they had to fire back.

Nat’s associate died on the spot and Nat passed away while he was being taken to the hospital. Police have confirmed that Nat was wanted in at least 16 different criminal cases related to murder, robbery and extortion. Police recovered two Kalashnikovs, one 44-bore rifle, one motorbike and around 200 bullets from the criminals during Monday’s assault.

According to police records, Ahmadi Nat first made to the list of wanted criminals by killing Waheed Rajput and Munawar Rajput, two residents of his village Nat Kalan, on April 18, 2003. He murdered Nat Kalan’s nazim on March 31, 2006 and a general counsellor Arshad Rehmani, along with his son, on October 13, 2007, after they refused to pay ‘extortion money’.

Police had set Rs1.5 million as head money for Nat. The Express Tribune tried to contact DIG Zulfiqar Ahmad Cheema to inquire if he would take action against the officers involved in the incident. But his cell phone did not respond.

Earlier, the bodies of two other wanted criminals, killed in an encounter, according to the police, were also paraded around the city roads in a similar manner on March 9. The incident was commended by Tariq Malik, the then city police chief. He addressed a press conference after the incident and stated the deceased were wanted in at least 25 criminal cases and deserved the treatment. However, Punjab Law minister Rana Sanaullah had later said that he would take strict action against the policemen who ‘desecrated’ the dead.