An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) was killed in a traffic accident after unidentified men opened fire at his vehicle in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Nowshera district, police said on Wednesday.

Kholan Station House Officer (SHO) Jamshed Khattak told Dawn.com that the incident took place when ASI Mohammad Ilyas was returning home from his duty at Nowshera Cantt Police Station early this morning.

“As soon as he reached the army farm area near Nowshera, [the attackers] mercilessly fired gunshots at him,” the SHO said. “Due to the intensity of the firing, ASI Ilyas Khan lost control of his vehicle and drove into a ditch.” Khattak added that the ASI instantly died at the scene.

The SHO said that the body was moved to a nearby hospital for legal action, though panic had spread in the area after the incident.

“It is not yet clear whether the incident was a terrorist incident or an attempt at theft,” he said, adding that an investigation was underway and a search operation had been launched in the area to apprehend the suspects.

Funeral prayers were offered for the deceased policeman in Nowshera, according to a post on the police’s Facebook page.

According to the post, a large number of police personnel, district administration officials, military personnel and local dignitaries were in attendance.

“After the funeral prayers, the body of the martyred officer was sent to his native area of ​​Kheshgi Payan,” the post read. “He will be buried there with full official honours.”

He was later buried in his village after funeral proceedings.

Earlier this week, attacks on police stations in KP’s Lakki Marwat and Peshawar districts were repelled, with authorities on Monday confirming a grenade attack on Peshawar’s Malazai area and an attack on Gambila police station in Lakki Marwat carried out by up to 16 attackers.