RAWALPINDI: Two policemen, one of them deployed on security duty at an imambargah, were gunned down in Sadiqabad on Monday evening.

Two other officials from the Muhafiz Force were injured after three motorcycle riders opened fire on them near Imambargah Rizvia, police said.

Doctors described the condition of the injured as critical because they were shot in the chest.

Constable Mohammad Waheed, who was deployed on security duty at the imambargah, was taking meal at a nearby restaurant when two officials associated with the Muhafiz Force and another constable joined him.

In the meantime, three persons riding a motorcycle reached the restaurant and opened fire on the police personnel. As a result, constable Waheed died on the spot while the three other officials - constables Adeel Anjum, Yasir Mehmood and Qamar Shah - sustained injuries.

The injured were taken to the Benazir Bhutto Hospital where Qamar Shah also succumbed to the injuries. The two other policemen were in critical conditions.

Regional Police Officer (RPO) Akhtar Umar Hayat Laleka told Dawn that apparently the policemen looked to be the target of the attackers. He said though the scene of the crime was not far away, the imambargah remained safe.

Panic gripped the area soon after the incident and people started running away. However, nobody tried to intercept the fleeing culprits.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2014