OKARA: Two gunmen fleeing police custody were shot dead on Thursday when their accomplices got them free after injuring two constables, District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Faisal Rana told reporters.

Cantt police were bringing Aamir, alias Adnan, and Riaz, alias Arshad, to Okara from Lahore when in Renala four people in a car attacked the police van and got free the two accused. They also injured constables Tufail and Abdullah Farooq.

The police called reinforcement and chased the gunmen who were heading to Pir di Hatti Road.

In the jurisdiction of Basirpur police near Pul Suhags, police and the fleeing gunmen came face on face. The gunmen took cover in fields and started firing on police.

Police said the accomplices injured the two gunmen and fled. The police rushed gunmen to the Haveli Lakkah Rural Health Centre but both succumbed to their injuries on way to hospital.

The DPO said the both injured police constables were shifted to the Okara District Headquarters hospital.

Amir and Riaz were arrested for killing Pakistan Army personnel Abdul Malik on January 2 near Okara Cantt.

They were charged with terror laws. On Thursday, Cantt police had produced them before the Anti-Terrorist Court No 4 in Lahore and got their physical remand.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2015

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