On the run: Three killed in a police encounter

FAISALABAD:

Three people, including two alleged outlaws, were killed in a police encounter in a Garh police precinct on Wednesday morning. The police spokesperson said police had arrested Hassan Askari, a resident of Sahiwal, and Safdar Rasool, a resident of Toba Tek Singh, on Tuesday in connection with a robbery case registered with Garh police.

He said the Garh police were taking them to a lockup in Samundri Saddar police station as there were no proper security arrangements at the Garh police station. On the way there, six men on motorcycles and a car intercepted the police team and shot at it in a bid to rescue their accomplices, the spokesperson said. The police returned fire and an encounter ensued in which Askari, Rasool and an unidentified assailant received serious bullet injuries and died on the spot. He said the rest managed to flee. On receipt of information, several police high-ups arrived at the scene and seized the bodies.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2015.