MANDI BAHAUDDIN: A member of the Ahmadi community was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Mandi Bahauddin district of Punjab on Wednesday evening, police said, adding that the incident was being investigated as a suspected targeted killing.

According to City police station Station House Officer (SHO) Saleem Bakhsh, the incident took place around 6:30pm on Main Eidgah Road within the jurisdiction of City police station. The location is just a few metres from the office of the deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Saddar Circle.

The victim was identified in the initial police report as a resident of Lalazar, Mandi Bahauddin.

DSP Saddar Circle Mandi Bahauddin Rana Jameel Ahmed, while speaking to Dawn, confirmed that the victim belonged to the Ahmadi community.

Police said the victim was returning home after closing his workshop when two unidentified men allegedly followed him. When he reached the main road near the central Eidgah, the attackers opened fire on him.

He sustained critical gunshot wounds and died at the scene. The two assailants fled after the shooting.

Soon after receiving information about the incident, City police station SHO Tarar reached the scene along with a police contingent. Police collected evidence from the crime scene and launched an investigation, while personnel from other law enforcement agencies were also present at the site.

Police took the deceased’s body into custody and started the legal formalities.

District Police Officer (DPO) Mandi Bahauddin Lieutenant (retd) Kamran Amir Khan, while speaking to Dawn, said the initial investigation suggested that the incident appeared to be a targeted killing and that the victim had apparently been deliberately targeted as part of a planned attack.

He said police were investigating the incident from all possible angles and efforts were under way to identify and arrest the assailants.

According to the DPO Mandi Bahauddin, investigators were using evidence collected from the crime scene, along with other available information, to trace the suspects.

Police officials said a case would be registered and further legal proceedings initiated after the victim’s heirs submitted an application.

The body was still at the scene when this report was filed, while a heavy police contingent had cordoned off both sides of the road as investigations continued.