GUJRAT: Two young cousins were allegedly gunned down by their rivals at Muradwal village in Malakwal police precincts in Mandi Bahauddin district on Wednesday.

As per police sources, Hassan Javed (20) of Muradwal village had gone to nearby Hariya village for his medical checkup, along with his cousin Rizwan (17).

As they were returning home on a motorbike, they were intercepted by armed men of rival Azam group, also of the Muradwal village, who allegedly opened fire, leaving both cousins dead on the spot. The assailants then fled the scene.

On being informed of the double murder, a police team reached the scene and after collecting evidence shifted the bodies to the Malakwal Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital.

The doctors at the THQ hospital conducted the autopsy of the bodies and handed these over to the families of the deceased youths.

A team of Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) also visited the scene and collected forensic evidence from there.

The police sources say that initial investigations show that Hassan had an altercation with Azam, who nurtured a grudge against him, and on finding an opportunity, gunned him down along with his cousin.

Police have registered the case against at least 15 suspects, 10 of them nominated, under sections 302, 440, 109, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on the report of Aziz Ahmed, father of Hassan, and started investigation.

Meanwhile, Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar has taken notice of the incident and sought a report from the regional police officer (RPO).

He directed Mandi Bahau­d­din district police officer (DPO) to arrest the suspects. The DPO says teams are conducting raids to arrest the killers.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2025