KHANEWAL, July 25: Police have formed two teams to arrest the criminals who shot dead three police officials in an encounter on Thursday morning.

Three Khanewal city police officials, including the station house officer (SHO), were gunned down in an encounter at 139/10-R, 35 kilometres from Khanewal.

Police was tipped off about the presence of alleged hardened criminal Muhammad Mushtaq and his accomplices in the village located in the precincts of Jahanian police.

City SHO Mian Bashir led a team of 12 officials to raid the house. As soon as the police entered the house, they captured three of Mushtaq’s accomplices.

Meanwhile, Mushtaq opened fire on police leaving SHO Bashir and Elite Force Constable Abid Husain dead and ASI Muhammad Aslam injured. Mushtaq and his accomplices fled from the scene.

The injured policeman was rushed to Khanewal District Headquarters hospital to be referred to Multan Nishtar hospital, where he died.

“Police are continuously after a number of absconding criminals, and Mushtaq is wanted for killing people on court premises in 2006,” Khanewal District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Kamran Khan told Dawn.

Mr Kamran said police lacked competence in raids, so he had got started training of police officials to improve their raiding skills.

The funeral prayer of police officials was offered here at Police Lines. Multan Regional Police Officer (RPO) Arif Ikram and DCO Qazi Muhammad Ashfaq attended the prayers.

The bodies of SHO Bashir and Constable Abid were sent to Noorshah in Sahiwal and Kabirwala.

The RPO announced Rs500,000 each for heirs to policemen.

He also announced the induction of SHO Bashir’s son and constable Abid’s brother in the Police Department.

The funeral prayer of ASI Aslam was offered at Police Lines on Friday.