LAHORE: A Brandreth Road trader and his guard were shot at and injured by a group of armed men who ambushed his vehicle near Mozang on Sunday.

The suspects who were chasing the car of trader Sheikh Irfan stopped him near Mozang. He, along with his gunman Mohammad Rafique, was on way to market. They sprayed a volley of bullets on the car of Irfan, eyewitnesses told media persons.

They said the attackers kept on firing and the passersby panicked. One of the armed men later went to the car, stayed there for a moment and then fled the scene along with his other accomplices, they said.

Before leaving the place, the witnesses said, the suspects also fired shots in the air.

On being informed, police and Rescue 1122 officials reached the place and found two men in a pool of blood. They shifted the injured to the Services Hospital in a critical condition.

The forensic team isolated the crime scene and collected shells of bullets for analysis besides seizing the vehicle of the trader.

Police after taking statements of some relatives of the trader declared the attack a result of his enmity with some men of Gowalmandi.

Quoting initial inquires, Lahore Operations SSP Ismail Kharrak told Dawn that Sheikh Irfan had enmity with some men living in Gowalmandi. He said Irfan’s relatives told police that he might have been targeted by another businessman and his men over rivalry.

The suspect (other businessman) according to the police record was injured in an armed clash a couple of years back. He survived luckily at that time after prolonged treatment at the Lahore General Hospital where he was taken along with some other injured men. Irfan and his armed men were nominated in the case.

Mr Kharrak said Irfan had survived an armed attack at his house a few weeks ago.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2019