LAHORE: A teenage boy was allegedly shot dead in “crossfire” between Dolphin Squad personnel and five suspects occupying a car in Badami Bagh area here on Tuesday.

According to eyewitnesses, the boy, later identified as Mohammad Saleem (15), was filling a bottle from a water cooler when suddenly he was hit in the head by a bullet. He died while being rushed to hospital by passersby.

Saleem was son of Ameer Ali, a watchman of a factory, who was present at the scene, some witnesses told the media.

Ameer Ali passed out when he saw his son suddenly falling on the road with blood oozing from his head, they added.

Locals blame police for death

The incident sent a wave of anguish among the locals who blamed Dolphin Squad personnel for the boy’s death. Some of them termed the reckless shooting in a crowded street by the squad personnel highly unprofessional. They blocked the Ring Road in protest.

Police and locals claiming to be witnesses had different versions of the incident.

The police high-ups claimed the car occupants were desperate criminals having record, who opened fire at police. They said the police recovered from them an illegal 9mm pistol, besides some tools used for stealing power transformers.

The suspects, they claimed, were involved in criminal activities in Multan and some other districts of the province and the car they were using was rented.

The witnesses, however, denied firing by the car occupants, claiming the police rounded them up shortly after the incident.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the incident shows two bike-mounted Dolphin personnel chasing a car near the old Ravi bridge.

One of the policemen can be seen pointing his pistol at the car being chased and then resorting to straight firing on its occupants.

The footage shows the fire was opened by the cops from running bike.

“We have traced criminal record of all the suspects occupying the car the Dolphin Squad chased after the driver ignored signals and repeated police warnings,” Operations SSP Muntazar Mehdi told Dawn.

He said one of the suspects who was injured in the “armed clash” with the police, was identified as Atif, having criminal record.

Each of the suspects had been involved in more than 10 criminal cases, the SSP claimed, adding that the forensic evidences had been collected from the crime scene to ascertain who actually shot the boy.

The investigation was on to trace the boy’s killer and produce him in the court of law, he said, adding that the FIR of the incident had already been lodged on the complaint of the victim’s father.

Meanwhile, Chief Minster Shahbaz Sharif took notice of the boy’s killing and sought a report from the Lahore capital city police officer (CCPO).

The CM has ordered a legal action against those responsible for the killing after a thorough probe into the incident.

He said justice should be done at any cost.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2018