Law and order: Two cops killed in shootout

Police say the officers were investigating a robbery cum murder case.

LAHORE:

Two policemen were killed and another was injured in two incidents on Saturday night.

Police said ASI Ameen Iqbal of the Anti-Motorcycle Lifting Squad and Operations Sub-Inspector Riaz were investigating a robbery cum murder case.

They said Riaz had arrested one of the suspects and was trying to reach other members of his gang.

He said the suspect was taken to Khan Baba Hotel at Chauburji, from where he called his accomplices.

The gang arrived and asked him to meet them outside.

As the gang wouldn’t go inside, SI Riaz and ASI Ameen went with the arrested man and sat with the gang in their car.

The robbers shot Riaz who was in the backseat and threw out his body. They left with Iqbal and shot him near Riwaz Garden and threw his body out as well. Some policemen deployed in the area shot at the car, but the gang managed to flee.

CRO SP Mustafa Hameed said the gang members had probably recognised ASI Iqbal who had arrested one of their accomplice six years ago.

He said the gang members were unable to take their arrested accomplice along.

A senior official requesting anonymity said when the criminals threw Iqbal’s body out, registration file of another car also fell from the car. He said the police had traced the car owner to a house in Rustam Park. He said the police had raided the house and arrested two men.

Separately, an FIA constable was shot injured by four robbers riding two motorbikes on Saturday. Police said that Constable Farhat Abbas was returning home with his family when the car was intercepted near Muslim Town underpass.

Abbas rammed the car into one of the motorbikes. However, two men, on another bike, shot him.

Abbas and his son were injured. All four robbers fled.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2014.