A cop was martyred while another three were injured during an operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat District on Friday as police killed a wanted drug smuggler who was also allegedly behind an officer’s murder.

In December 2024, Station House Office (SHO) Rahim Khan of Swat’s Manglawar police station was martyred while another was wounded during an encounter with drug smugglers in Mingora city. The police team was pursuing two notorious drug smugglers — Sharif Khan alias Sharifay and Ahmadzeb — following a tip-off regarding their activities.

Moin Ali, spokesperson for Swat District Police Officer (DPO) Nasir Mehmood, said the police today launched an intelligence-based operation in the mountainous region of Fizagat against a criminal involved in SHO Rahim’s murder.

The suspects “opened indiscriminate fire, killing Constable Niaz Muhammad as well as injuring Additional Sub-Inspector (ASI) Amjad Iqbal, Constable Muhammad Hussain and Constable Sarfaraz”, Ali added.

He further confirmed that in the ensuing exchange of fire, wanted drug smuggler Ahmadzeb — a prime suspect in SHO Rahim’s killing — was shot and killed.

“Acting on a tip-off, police reached the suspect’s residence to conduct a search and arrest operation,” the DPO’s spokesperson stated, adding that additional police units were deployed to the scene and immediately surrounded the house.

The injured officers were swiftly transported to Saidu Sharif Hospital, where doctors confirmed that their condition was stable. A large police contingent secured the area and launched further investigations into the incident, Ali added.

The police operation continued for four hours, Mingora SHO Mujeeb Alam told Dawn.com.

SHO Alam further said police checked the rooms of the four-storey building and collected evidence.

Last week, a huge quantity of drugs was recovered during a raid on the house of a former policeman in Faisalabad.

Earlier this month, a court in Peshawar convicted two officials of the excise police for smuggling narcotics and sentenced them to life imprisonment with a fine of Rs1 million each.

In January, the excise, taxation and narcotics control department personnel in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan had seized four kilogrammes of crystal meth (ice) from a car and arrested the suspect.