RAWALPINDI: Two people were allegedly killed in a police encounter on Khayaban-i-Sir Syed on Wednesday.

The bodies of the two men, identified as Mohammad Amjad alias Gandagir and Sahil Ahmed, were moved to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital.

The alleged encounter took place within the limits of the Pirwadhai police station, and police have claimed that the men were killed by their own accomplices.

Sources said a team from the Pirwadhai police conducted a raid near the General Post Office in Murree and arrested two unknown men, who were then brought to Rawalpindi. The Murree police were not involved in the raiding party, they said.

They added that the Pirwadhai police killed the men in an alleged encounter on Sheikh Rashid Bridge near Khayaban-i-Sir Syed and the police moved the bodies to the DHQ Hospital for autopsies.

City Police Officer Abbas Ahsan denied that the police had killed the two men, claiming that the police had responded to information of four suspects standing near Sheikh Rashid Bridge and planning a robbery.

He said a police team raided the area, at which point the suspects opened fire on the police.

“Using megaphones, the police warned the robbers to stop firing on the police or else more police force would be called. But they did not hear the warning and kept firing,” he said.

He said the police found the bodies after the alleged robbers stopped firing, adding that two of their accomplices escaped.

Mr Ahsan said the two deceased men were involved in robberies in the twin cities and the recent killing of police constable Jamil Satti in Pirwadhai.

“A total of 15 cases were registered against Amjad and his gang in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad so far,” he said.

He said an inquiry committee has been constituted to check the suspects’ criminal records and other details in the Pirwadhai police’s FIR, adding that the matter would be investigated properly.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2018