LAHORE: A young policewoman was allegedly tortured and shot dead by her male colleague in the presence of passersby in Harbanspura area here on Tuesday.

The victim, Constable Soman (27), who was serving in anti-riot wing of Lahore police, suffered three bullet wounds which proved fatal.

A police official says that the alleged killer was also identified as a policeman, Farooq, who fled the scene after the incident.

Quoting witnesses, the police official said that the suspect, who was in plainclothes, first subjected the woman (also in plainclothes) to torture on a greenbelt near Canal Park, where locals and passersby intervened and overpowered him.

Initially, the locals and passersby didn’t involve police, assuming that the suspect and the woman were related to each other, the police official said.

Moments later, the suspect pulled out a pistol and fired shots in the air to terrorise the people who had gathered there, the police added.

As the passersby rushed for shelter, the suspect allegedly shot the woman thrice and fled the scene, leaving her dead on the spot.

On being informed of the incident, a police team arrived at the spot, along with forensic experts, and cordoned off the crime scene.

During search, the police recovered a service card from the purse of the deceased woman, identifying her as a constable, the official said.

The body was shifted to the city morgue for autopsy and an FIR was registered against the fleeing suspect, who also turned out to be a policeman.

The official said the motive behind the murder could not be ascertained yet and police teams have been dispatched to trace and arrest the suspect.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2024