SARGODHA: Khushab police claim to have killed a notorious wanted gangster, Saifullah, and his four accomplices in an encounter, in which a constable was martyred and Qaidabad station house officer (SHO) and a constable were injured on Tuesday night.

Police say that Quaidabad Police Station SHO Rana Farman received information that a wanted proclaimed offender, Saifullah, along with his unidentified accomplices, was present in the area between Dhokrri and Jabi villages.

SHO, a constable were injured by gunmen

Acting on the information, a police team raided a premises in the area, where the suspects were present. Upon seeing the police, the suspects opened fire on the raiding party, which was returned by the policemen.

The sources say that during the three-hour-long crossfire between the two sides, constable Zia Akhtar was martyred in the suspects’ firing, while SHO Rana Faizan and Constable Jamshed Iqbal were injured.

Meanwhile, the police killed the notorious gangster Saifullah and his four accomplices, later identified as Aslam, Hassan, Kamra and Fayaz. Some of the gunmen fled the scene.

As per police sources, Saifullah was allegedly involved in dozens of cases of murder, robbery, drug selling and extortion. The body of the martyred constable and the injured policemen were shifted to hospital.

The sources say the search for the fleeing criminals is ongoing and they will be arrested soon.

Khushab District Police Officer (DPO) Tauqeer Mohammad Naeem has congratulated SHO Rana Farman and his team for bravely confronting Saifullah and his gang, wanted by Mianwali and Khushab police.

The DPO also appreciated the bravery and courage of Constable Zia who laid down his life while fighting the criminals.

Following the encounter, locals gathered on the spot and raised slogans in favour of police.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2024