LAHORE: A suspected robber wanted in nearly 58 criminal cases registered against him was shot dead in an ‘encounter’ with the Lahore Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) police in the wee hours on Wednesday.

Known as a ‘symbol of terror’, Bilal alias Lali was a resident of Shahdara town.

An official said a team of CIA police was taking the accused to a hideout in Shahdara area for the arrest of his accomplices. As they reached a deserted road in the area, unidentified accomplices of Lali attacked the police party and opened indiscriminate fire.

He said Lali was hit by a bullet fired by his accomplices and died on the spot, while the assailants managed to escape.

To a question, he said Bilal Lali was a notorious criminal and wanted in nearly 58 cases registered against him in various police stations of the city.

Kidnapped: The Manawan police Wednesday registered a kidnap case of a class 10 female student.

The father of the girl alleged that she was kidnapped by unidentified persons with criminal intent and asked the police authorities to recover her as soon as possible.

A police official said that during investigations, the police obtained some CCTV footage showing the girl walking in the street probably in search of a house where she was to reach.

He said a team of the police was busy getting more CCTV footage to trace her fresh location and hoped that she will be recovered soon.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2022