March 04, 2008	Tuesday	Safar 25, 1429

OKARA, March 3: Three outlaws were shot dead while a passer-by sustained injuries during separate shootouts between fleeing outlaws and villagers and police in this district on Sunday and Monday.

Around nine dacoits came riding on three bikes and started looting shops and villagers at Harnjarwal adda near Chak 39/3-R on Okara-Akbar Road on Sunday night. In the meantime, locals gathered there and later they started chasing the dacoits. Subsequently, a mobile of patrolling police also joined the villagers on which the robbers opened fire on the pursuers and a dacoit later identified as Mubarik Bengali of Chak 47/3-R was killed while a passer-by, Ghazanfar, was injured in the ensuing shootout. The remaining dacoits, however, fled.

Ghazanfar was hospitalised at the DHQ Hospital and is stated to be in a stable condition. The police seized one motorcycle, two pump action shotguns and one rifle from the scene and sent Mubarik’s body for an autopsy.

In the other incident, two unidentified robbers were shot dead near village Bait Singh. Three robbers intercepted Muhammad Hussain and his son Athar Farooq when they were returning from Hujra Shah Muqeem to their hometown Basirpur on Monday. The robbers snatched valuables from both of them and also the bike they were riding on.

The robbers also thrashed the two men when they resisted and on their raising hue and cry, villagers of Bait Singh rushed to the scene. Later, the locals and the police started pursuing the robbers on which the robbers opened fire and two robbers were killed in the ensuing shootout with police and villagers. However, their accomplice fled. The police started investigations.