Dead or alive: ‘Killed’ robber dies for real on way to morgue

Police say Imran’s heart might have stopped briefly, died on way to hospital.

LAHORE:

A robber who police said was killed in a shootout late on Monday turned out to be alive when they were taking his ‘body’ to a morgue.

Kotwali Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) police said they had arrested a robber, identified as Imran alias Jhangvi, on Sunday. He later led them to a house in Badami Bagh for the arrest of three accomplices – Sarfraz alias Shafqat, Akmal alias Ali and Muhammad Imran.

When police reached the house near Morcha Stop, the three men hiding there opened fire that killed Jhangvi.

Police said they returned fire “killing” Sarfraz, Akmal and Imran. They were taking the ‘bodies’ to a morgue on a van when Sarfraz started shouting for help. The policemen, however, placed another body on Sarfraz and took him to the morgue instead of taking him to a hospital.

Pictures of the ‘dead’ robber were also broadcast on several TV channels.

CIA Inspector Raees Khan, who led the raid, told The Express Tribune that the injured robber was being taken to the hospital but he died on way.

“He was, therefore, taken to the morgue,” he said.

Asked how a man, declared dead, could become live, the inspector said, “Probably his heartbeat had stopped for a while… when we checked him later his heart was beating.”

The inspector said the suspects were wanted for more than 200 cases of robbery, murdering policemen, arson and gang rape.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2014.