MUZAFFARABAD: A police official, who had gone to attend a complaint about torture of a woman by her spouse, was shot dead by the accused in Kotli district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Wednesday.

Mohammad Nawaz, an official at Sehnsa police station, told Dawn by telephone that Madadgar 15 received a phone call by someone at 12:30am on Wednesday, complaining that his son-in-law had held his daughter and grandchildren hostage in their home in Pehayi village, where he was also torturing them.

“The complaint was immediately forwarded to us for swift action following which ASI Raja Mohammad Zulfiqar, who was already present in the area at the head of a four-member patrol party, was directed by the SHO to visit the residence for investigation,” he said.

“When the policemen knocked the door of the suspect, he came out brandishing a pistol and shot ASI Zulfiqar,” Mr Nawaz added.

He said when the constables tried to arrest the suspect, they faced resistance from his father as well, who hit one of them in the head with a baton. However, the police personnel overpowered and handcuffed the father-son duo, who were then brought to the police station.

The ASI was shifted to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Sehnsa from where he was referred to a Rawalpindi hospital on account of his critical condition. However, he succumbed to his injury near Sihala village of Rawalpindi at about 2:45am, Mr Nawaz said.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2024