SHEIKHUPURA, April 20: A traffic police inspector and four dacoits were killed in a two-hour long encounter near Bahuman railway station, some 18km from here, on Saturday.

Reports said four dacoits, after driving away a car (LXL-7441) at gunpoint from Gujranwala, reached Shah Kot, Faisalabad Road, some 56km from here.

They bagged Rs350,000 in cash, 65 tolas of gold ornaments and prize bonds worth Rs40,000 from goldsmith Inayat Ali’s house and made for Lahore.

Near Aliabad, traffic police inspector Malik Muhammad Ishaque and two constables started chasing them. The dacoits’ car broke down near the Wali oil mills, Ferozewatwan.

After some exchange of fire, the dacoits overpowered the inspector and took him with them as a hostage by a car (LXG-7665) they had snatched from a passer-by.

The Bhekhi, Saddar Farooqabad, Manawala and Shah Kot police teams followed the dacoits towards Bahuman and besieged them near the railway station.

In the shootout that ensued, inspector Ishaque and four dacoits identified as Tanvir Butt, Sarwar, Kaka and Irfan died on the spot.

Ishaque, 42, belonged to Murar (Sangla Hill). He left behind a wife, five daughters and an abnormal son.

His funeral prayers were offered by a large number of people at a local police ground.

The local SSP announced that one salary of each Sheikhupura police employee would be donated to the bereaved family.

The hands of the deceased inspector were tied when the body was found, police said.

Police claimed the dacoits were involved in over a dozen cases of heinous crimes.

A police spokesman claimed five dacoits looted cash and jewellery from the house, adding one of them managed to escape with booty. Raiding teams had been constituted to arrest the absconder, he added.

It was learnt that the police had recovered travellers’ cheques worth Rs1 million from the car (LXG-7665).