A police officer was gunned down on Friday in the Faqirabad area of Peshawar. In a separate incident, five hand grenades were recovered in the city's Mattani area, according to the police.

The police officer, identified as Rehmanullah, had been deployed at Faqirabad police station and was targeted by unidentified armed assailants as he was returning home from a vegetable market.

The deceased was an ex-serviceman hired by police for the Special Police Force on contract following his retirement.

Separately, the police recovered five hand grenades in the Mattani suburbs of Peshawar during a search operation.

According to Additional Inspector General Bomb Disposal Squad, the grenades were recovered from fields near the police station in Mattani and were defused successfully.