MIANWALI, May 3: Police arrested four car riders who shot dead three people, including a passerby, and injured another near the DPO’s office in the district courts here 10 minutes after the crime on Wednesday morning.

Police said Amanullah, Noor Muhammad, Riaz and Mumtaz waited for their rivals Noor Khan and Akbar Khan of Rasool Khelanwala Chidroo village in a car (IDC-5916). As they reached near the DPO’s office, the car riders shot and killed them on the spot. A passerby, Haq Nawaz, a retired police sub-inspector, resident of Meharabad village, Darya Khan, was also killed on the spot. Another passerby, Asif, a resident of Chidroo, sustained bullet injuries. His condition was stated to be serious.

Police said two Kalashnikovs, one automatic gun and one 30 bore pistol were recovered from the possession of the killers.

Police removed the bodies to the DHQ Hospital for autopsy.

Later, DPO told this correspondent that Niamatullah Khan of Chidroo village was a proclaimed offender. He was arrested after an encounter on January 4, 2000. He was released by a court on compromising with his rivals. On May 22, 2005, Meher Khatoon, the sister of Niamatullah, with her husband Sher Samad, killed Abdul Majeed, the younger brother of her husband, on a petty dispute. Musakhel police registered a case against them. Sher Samad was arrested while Meher Khatoon left her five children and went to her brother Niamatullah. Police declared Meher Khatoon a proclaimed offender. Sher Samad’s three brothers Ahmad Khan, Hakim Khan and Javed Akhtar Khan thought that Niamatullah was sheltering his sister and they shot him dead on December 15, 2005. Wan Bhachran police registered a case against them and arrested Ahmad Khan and Hakim Khan.

Amanullah, the brother of deceased Niamatullah, along with his three cousins Noor Muhammad, Riaz and Mumtaz avenged the death of his brother by killing his rivals who came to the court in connection with the cases.