RAWALPINDI: One police official was killed and four officials and a civilian injured in a shooting at a police checkpost on Sadiqabad Chowk Thursday evening.

Constable Mohammad Zafran, 40, died upon reaching the hospital from gunshots to his abdomen and chest, a hospital doctor said. Four other officials, including two sub-inspectors, are said to be out of danger.

Regional Police Officer (RPO) Mohammad Ahmed Ishaq Jhangeer told Dawn that the checkpost, set up during the campaign against kite flying, was attacked by two unidentified individuals.

He said four police personnel were injured, one of them critically. Senior officers, including the senior superintendent of police (operations) have visited the scene of the shooting and gathered evidence.

He said police were alerted to arrest the shooters shortly after the attack.

The initial investigation suggests that two unidentified pedestrians were stopped by police at the checkpost, where five police officials were deployed. They allegedly fired at the police, and fled into the streets before the police could react.

The firing led to panic in the area. Emergency services arrived shortly after and took the injured to Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH).

Three victims – 37-year-old Constable Mohammad Sajid, who was shot in the neck, 52-year-old Sub-Inspector Mohammad Akram, who was shot in the chest, and Zafran, who was shot twice in the chest and once in the abdomen, were taken to BBH by Rescue 1122 staff.

The other three victims were taken to the hospital in private vehicles. They include 33-year-old Assistant Sub-Inspector Qamar Sadiq, who was shot in the leg, 26-year-old Constable Shahzad Mehboob, who was shot in the right arm, and 50-year-old Mohammad Nasim, a passerby, who wqas shot in the left arm.

Police teams rushed to the scene of the shooting and cordoned it off after the victims were taken to the hospital. Police have also interviewed shopkeepers and other individuals present near the crime scene, and are seeking CCTV footage to identify the shooters.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2019