RAWALPINDI: A suspected member of a car-lifting gang was killed while two others managed to escape during an exchange of gunfire with police in the Chakri area of Rawalpindi, a police spokesperson claimed on Thursday.

The exchange of gunfire took place while the suspects were fleeing with a stolen car, he said.

In a separate incident, an alleged motorcycle snatcher was arrested in an injured condition and a stolen motorcycle was recovered from him.

In the first incident, a police spokesman said that suspects were fleeing after stealing a car and opened gunfire on a police party following an encounter in the Chakri area. As a result, one of the alleged car lifters was killed during the firing while two others managed to escape. The stolen car and weapons were recovered by the police, the spokesperson said.

The deceased car lifter was identified as Tariq. The accused was involved in several cases of car theft in the twin cities and Lahore, said the spokesman. The suspect had also opened fire on a police party in the Cantt police station’s jurisdiction in 2020 along with his accomplices and was injured and subsequently arrested by police.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson said a suspect was arrested in an injured condition from the Cantt area of Rawalpindi.

The case unfolded when the police tried to stop suspicious motorcycle riders and they started firing at the police party. During the exchange of gunfire between the police and suspects, one of the motorcycle snatchers, who was identified as Adil, was detained by the police.

The police also recovered a stolen motorcycle from his possession.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2025