KOHAT: The SHO of Ustarzai police station and a proclaimed offender were killed in an exchange of fire in Khadizai area here in the wee hours on Tuesday.

SHO Mohammad Ali had information that a wanted fugitive Kimkhab Ali was hiding in Sara Khawara area after coming from Punjab. He constituted a party and raided a house. However, the PO after seeing the police opened indiscriminate fire, in which the SHO was seriously wounded. He was taken to KDA teaching hospital where he succumbed to injuries.

The police returned the fire and during the ensuing encounter, the PO was also killed and a Kalashnikov and cartridges were recovered from him.

The outlaw was wanted by police in kidnapping of a man and murder of a girl in 2012 and 2015. He was resident of Orakzai Agency, but presently residing in Khadizai, a police statement said.

The funeral prayers of the deceased SHO were held at the Kohat police lines, attended by DIG Kohat region Awal Khan, DPO Abbas Majeed Marwat, relatives, family, MPA Ziaullah Bnagash and members of civil society.

The police officer’s body was sent to his native village in Sadda, lower Kurram Agency for burial.

ROBBERS’ GANG BUSTED: The police busted a four-member gang headed by an Afghan refugee who looted passengers on Bannu and Rawalpindi roads.

SHO Islamuddin of Mohammad Riaz Shaheed police station raided a house in Togh Bala on a tip and recovered Rs15,000, four sheep, air conditioners, water pumps, and costly surgery tools stolen from there.

The accused were identified as Afghan refugee Ibne Ali and his accomplices Said Razzaq, Mohammad Saeed and Mohammad Sajid of Togh Bala. A case was registered against them.

Meanwhile, the city police arrested leader of car-lifters’ gang. The SHO city, acting on a tip-off, raided rickshaw market on Kohat-Hangu road and arrested the auto thief, Tahir Ali, of College Town. He was traced through modern tracking device after several cases of vehicle theft were reported in the city.

Many frames of rickshaws, motorcycles and parts of cars were recovered from his house. He used to dismantle the stolen vehicles and sell their parts at throwaway rates.

A case was registered against the accused, and later a court remanded him into the police custody.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2018