FAISALABAD, Feb 12: Three police officials and six proclaimed offenders were killed in shootouts in Faisalabad, Jahanian and Multan on Tuesday. Four policemen were also injured.
A DSP, a head constable and two POs died while three policemen were injured during a 10-hour shootout near Chak No 44 JB, Chak Jhumra, about 29km from Faisalabad.
Three POs and a sub-inspector were killed during a shootout at Jahanian in Chak No 53/10-R, some 30 km from Multan, at around 4am on Tuesday.
In another encounter in Multan, an alleged dacoit was killed and a constable was injured on Tuesday night.
On a tip-off, Faisalabad CIA SP Raja Munawwar and Saddar DSP Sikandar Gujjar led a team of Elite Force and police commandos to Pucca Dalla where POs Zulfiqar alias Zulfi and his accomplices were present in outhouse on Monday afternoon.
The outlaws opened fire when the policemen attempted to enter the outhouse by scaling the boundary walls. No one was hurt and the policemen took positions and started returning the fire which continued till the evening. Meanwhile, SSP Tasadduq Hussain Chaudhry sent another two teams comprising officials of Saddar, Samundari and Jaranwala police and CIA.
The three police teams exchanged fire with the outlaws for three hours. The outhouse caught fire when police fired tear-gas shells and the outlaws stopped firing.
Assuming that the POs were killed DSP Sikandar Gujjar with his gunman Head Constable Rana Abdul Rahman and four commandos entered the outhouse. The outlaws were alive and they opened fire on the policemen, killing DSP Sikandar and Abdul Rahman on the spot.
Elite Force commandos retaliated and killed two outlaws.
Chak Jhumra police station SHO Mahr Rab Nawaz, Elite Force Constable Farooq and constable Iqbal and Sajid were injured. The condition of Constable Iqbal was stated to be critical at the Allied Hospital.
Police teams immediately sieged the entire village and reportedly arrested nine people on the charge of providing shelter to the outlaws.
The killed POs were identified as Zulfiqar Ali alias Zulfi, son of Mehnan, and Bata Venus alias Bati, son of Hasha Venus a resident of Chak No 45 JB.
Meanwhile, the funeral prayers of DSP Sikandar Gujjar and Head Constable Abdul Rehman was offered in Faisalabad police lines on Tuesday. Senior officials of police and district administration also attended. Later, the bodies were sent to their native villages for burial.
DSP Sikandar was a resident of Kutrowal village of Tandlianwala. He has left behind three daughters and a son.
Jahanian police raided a house in Chak No 53/10R Pathanawala on a tip-off that POs Zubair, Shaukat, Azizur Rahman and Hanif were present there.
The POs opened fire, killing ASI Chaudhry Farzand Ali on the spot. Police retaliated and killed Shaukat, Aziz and Hanif while Zubair escaped.
Shaukat, Aziz, Hanif and Zubair were wanted in many dacoity, theft and murder cases in Vehari, Mailsi and Jahanian. Police also claimed to have recovered illegal weapons from them.
A Basti Malook police team signalled a car to halt near Chak No 5, Faiz, which was without a registration number plate.
The five unidentified occupants of the car opened fire on the police, injuring Constable Muhammad Hanif.
Police retaliated and killed one of the occupants of the car.
The four people escaped in the car, leaving behind their dead accomplice.
The condition of Constable Hanif was stated to be critical at the Nishtar Hospital.