RAWALPINDI: A police official embraced martyrdom whereas another was wounded in a shootout with apparently “highly trained” four suspects on Murree Road around midnight on Monday, with the suspects escaping the scene leaving their vehicle behind.

SSP Operations Hafiz Kamran Asghar said the incident occurred when the dolphin force officials signalled a car in which four people were travelling to stop. The occupants, however, started firing at the police during the chase which resulted in the death of a dolphin force official and injuries to another constable. A pedestrian was also injured in the shootout.

The SSP said that one of the suspects was also injured during the shootout, however, police raids were underway to arrest the culprits. Police have also found “some photographs and a weapon licence from the car” driven by the culprits.

Following the shootout, the police across the garrison city were on high alert and raids were underway to arrest the suspects who, according to a CCTV footage, escaped on foot. One of the suspects “seems to be differently abled” as per the “reports recovered from the car”, the police said. The sources, however, said the suspects escaped on two motorcycles they snatched. According to the police, one of the culprits might have been injured during the shootout as “blood was found in the car” left behind by the culprits.

Police suspect involvement of banned outfit; ‘highly trained’ culprits manage to escape

The police also claimed that the suspects belonged to Tank, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as per the initial probe. The policemen were therefore directed to monitor all bus stands, the railway station, and all the exit points of the city to trace their whereabouts. The police suspected the involvement of a banned outfit in this incident but any link in this regard was yet to be established, said an official.

Terrorism case

In light of the incident, the police also registered a case under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, murder, and other charges of the Pakistan Penal Code at the complaint of Muhammad Asim, foot constable at the Waris Khan police station.

The FIR said the dolphin police were on duty when they flagged a car near MH Chowk and asked the driver to stop, but instead of complying with the order, the vehicle sped off prompting a chase by the police officials. As the car reached Mareer Chowk, the occupants started firing at the police, but the police team continued to follow the white vehicle despite gunshots.

Meanwhile, the police control room was alerted by the Dolphin Force officials, the FIR said, adding that when the car reached Waris Khan, it was forced to stop due to traffic. At this, the occupants started firing at the police, injuring Ismail Rauf and Mohammad Asim who fell on the ground.

The culprits managed to escape the scene leaving behind their vehicle. After the escape, the injured were shifted to the Benazir hospital by the police where Ismail Rauf was pronounced dead. Rauf left behind his mother, wife, and two sons.

The funeral of martyred constable Ismail Rauf was held at Police Lines Headquarters on Tuesday. Constable Mohammad Asim, who was shifted to Benazir Bhutto Hospital, was stated to be in stable condition. After the funeral, the body of the martyred constable was buried with official honours in his native area in the jurisdiction of the Chauntra police station.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2024