GUJRAT: Following the killing of Jataria police post in charge in robbers’ firing in the precincts of Lalamusa Saddar police late on Thursday night, two suspected killers of the policeman were found shot dead “by their own accomplices” in separate encounters with police.

Police say Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Faqar Hussain Warraich was at Jataria police picket near Lalamusa city, along with his colleagues, when some robbers opened fire at him, resulting in his instant death.

The police say they also retaliated the fire, and later found a critically injured man in the fields near the picket. Identified as Rasib of Chak Sikandar, the man later succumbed to his bullet wounds.

Police say the suspect may have been killed in firing by his own accomplices, who managed to flee the scene.

The bodies of the policeman and the alleged criminal were shifted to hospital where doctors conducted autopsies.

Lalamusa Saddar police have registered a case against suspects Rasib, Bilawal and their two unidentified accomplices under sections 302, 324, 354, 34 and the Punjab Arms (amendment) Act 2015 on the report of ASI Qamar Abbas of the same police station and started investigations.

The funeral of the martyred policeman was first offered at the Gujrat Police Lines on Friday afternoon, which was attended by Deputy Commissioner Safdar Virk, District Police Officer Asad Muzaffar and other officers. Later, another funeral of Faqar was held at his native Chak Kamala near Jalalpur Jattan, where he was laid to rest in the local graveyard in the evening.

Meanwhile, police claimed on Friday to have found the body of the other suspect, Bilawal Shafique of Chak Sikandar.

A spokesman for Gujrat police said a team was busy in a search operation to arrest Bilawal when some unidentified suspects opened fire on them at Aali Sedhari village in Rehmania police precincts.

He said the police team retaliated the fire and later when the firing stopped, they found a body which was identified as of Bilawal, who was involved in the killing of the ASI.

Police claimed Bilawal was also killed in the firing of his own accomplices.

Sources say both suspects (Rasib and Bilawal) had been in the custody of Jataria police post in connection with investigation into a robbery incident.

They say the suspects, finding an opportunity, opened fire at the police picket in charge, ASI Faqar, killing him on the spot and later fled the scene.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2023