THATTA: A Pakistan Coast Guard (PCG) officer sustained a critical bullet wound in an encounter with suspected drug peddlers during a hot pursuit in Sujawal district late Sunday night.

PCG officials said on Monday that their team signaled a mini-truck to stop on a tip-off about a narcotics consignment being transported through it. They said a suspicious car was also plying parallel to the truck. Defying the signal to stop, drivers of the vehicles accelerated the speed making the PCG team to chase them. The occupants of the two vehicles opened fire at the chasing team along the Jati-Chhachh Jahan Khan road near Hashim Katiyar village within Sajawal district.

The PCG team returned the fire and in the ensuing gun battle, one officer suffered a bullet wound. The suspects managed to make their escape good along with the suspected drug consignment.

The injured officer was rushed to a nearby hospital, where his condition was reported to be critical.

The local police collected evidence from the crime scene and registered a case against unknown suspects.

A joint investigation by the PCG and police into the incident was started.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2025