FAISALABAD: A man who was allegedly handed over to police by locals after a thwarted shop robbery bid, was later killed in an ‘encounter’ on Wednesday at Jaranwala.

According to Jaranwala Saddar police, two motorcyclists were looting people at gunpoint on Faisalabad Road when police confronted them.

Seeing police, the robbers opened fire which was returned. As a result, one of the robbers was hit by a bullet and died on the spot, while the other managed to escape.

Locals, however, refuted the police claim, saying two robbers occupying a car came to an auto shop near Saleemi Park, Lahore Road. They said the shop owner offered resistance and raised an alarm, alerting other shopkeepers who overpowered one of the robbers, while the other fled the scene.

The shopkeepers subjected the robber to torture before handing him over to city police. They said they also had a footage of the robber being taken away in a police van.

However, later Jaranwal Saddar police claimed to have killed the suspect, identified as Allah Ditta of Sargodha, in an encounter.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2016