LAHORE, Nov 26: Audacious robbers shot dead a 40-year-old transporter and looted Rs50,000 and two cell phones from another man on a ‘well-guarded’ patch of Multan Road near the cattle market at Shahpur Kanjran early on Saturday.

According to Chuhng police, four robbers signalled a 10-wheeler truck loaded with maze to stop, but the driver accelerated the vehicle’s speed.

The robbers, who were on foot, opened fire and a bullet hit the head of the driver, identified as Fazal Karim, a resident of Mohalla Salamatpura, Sahiwal. The injured driver lost control over the steering and the vehicle overturned with maze spreading on the road.

In the mean time, a car that was just behind the truck had to stop there too which gave an opportunity to the robbers to hold its driver, Anser Ali of Lahore Cantonment, at gunpoint. The outlaws deprived Anser of Rs50,000 and two cell phones and fled the scene on foot.

Police said Karim, father of a 14-year-old boy, was pronounced dead on the spot while his conductor, Abid Husain, escaped unhurt.

The police moved the body for autopsy and registered a case under sections 302 and 392 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of Muhammad Akbar, the victim’s younger brother.

Akbar told Dawn by phone it was shocking that his brother was killed on a main road of the city just two kilometre away from a police station and there was no police patrolling the area.

He said car driver Anser reached the police station after the incident and alerted the police that reached the crime scene after about 20 minutes and collected evidence from there.

He lamented the motorway police even did not bother to visit the crime scene.

Akbar demanded arrest of the killers and an exemplary punishment for them.

He said Fazal was a transporter and was going to Islamabad to deliver a consignment.

However, a NH&MP official, who wished not to be named, claimed patrolling team of Beat 12, which was near EME Housing Society, rushed to the scene in four to five minutes after being informed that a truck met an accident at Shahpur Kanjran stop.

He said the NH&MP personnel called Rescue 1122 ambulance to the spot, pulled the victim out of the vehicle and informed local police about the incident.

He said the officials recovered Rs10,000 from the pockets of the victim and handed the amount over to the conductor.

The incident reportedly led to a minor traffic congestion on the road at around 2:45am.

The crime was committed at a busy road section between Thokar Niaz Beg and Chuhng Bazaar, just two kilometres away from the Chuhng police station. The patch is supposed to be patrolled by Punjab police and NH&MP vehicles.

Besides, Offices of NH&MP, Chuhng Police Training Centre, Lahore Traffic Police Lines, NAB Punjab office and a number of factories and residential colonies are located on the road section where audacious robbers struck despite the presence of at least three police pickets. This was the third incident in the last one week or so in the city in which robbers killed a citizen.

Official figures available with Dawn show that as many as 45 incidents of dacoity/robbery-cum-murder have been reported in the first 10 months and 26 days of 2011 as compared to 43 incidents reported in the corresponding period of last year. The figures contradict Lahore police authorities’ repeated claims that all available resources are being utilised for the protection of life and property of the citizens.

DIG (Operation) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar, when contacted, said the incident took place because of absence of the SHO concerned and his all subordinates who were present at Raiwind Tableeghi Ijtima for security duty at the time of the incident.He claimed police got some positive clues about the suspects who would be traced shortly.