GUJRAT: A man and his nephew were gunned down and two others were injured in the firing by their rivals in the courtroom of an additional district and session judge (AD&SJ), in Gujranwala Civil Lines police precincts on Tuesday.

Police claimed to have arrested one of the attackers from the courtroom.

As per police sources, one Saqib Butt of Dhalley and his nephew Ali Butt, both residents of Gujranwala, arrived at the court of AD&SJ Tahir Aslam to record their statements as witnesses in a murder case registered by Model Town police station.

As soon as they entered the courtroom, armed men belonging to their rival group, includingAzan Abdul Razzaq, Shane Rabbi, Attae Rabbi and their accomplices also appeared there and opened fire on them.

As a result, both Saqib and Ali died on the spot, whereas two others, identified as Aftab and Usman, also sustained bullet injuries.

Four policemen on duty at the courts’ gate booked under Police Order

Meanwhile, the policemen present in the courtroom overpowered one of the armed men and arrested him.

The firing created panic on the courts premises, where people ran for there life.

The bodies of the deceased men, along with the injured persons were shifted to Gujranwala District Headquarters Hospital by the police and Rescue 1122 officials.

A team of the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) also reached the spot and collected evidence from the crime scene.

Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar, taking notice of the double murder, sought a report from Gujranwala Regional Police Officer (RPO) and directed the city police officer (CPO) to trace and arrest the attackers.

Police say they have started investigation into the incident and raids are being conducted to arrest the suspects.

The police have registered a double-murder case against the suspects Azan Abdul Razzaq,

Shane Rabbi, Attae Rabbi and others under sections 302, 324 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal

Code on the complaint of Abdul Majeed and started investigation.

Another case was lodged against four police officials who were deployed at the courts’

entrance gate near Chatha Hospital.

The case is lodged against Assistant Sub-Inspector Arshad Ali and others under section

155 of Police Order on the report of a sub inspector.

As per the FIR, the suspect Azan entered the sessions court compound from Chatha Hospitals gate, along with the weapon used in the incident. It said the police officials on duty failed to frisk the suspect when he entered the courts premises.

SHOT DEAD: A 32-year-old man was shot dead over the rent of a car in Mohallah Azam Nagar in Lalamusa Saddar police precincts late on Monday night.

Reports say three men, including Amanullah and Raheelur Rehman of Jogi Mohallah, opened fire on Umair of Azam Nagar near a petrol pump after a brief altercation over non-payment of Rs7,000 rent of a car.

As a result, Umair was critically injured and shifted to the Lalamusa Trauma Centre, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

The attackers managed to flee scene soon after the incident.

Teams of police and PFSA reached the spot and collected evidence from the crime scene.

Police say that both the deceased and the suspects had a joint rent-a-car business in Lalamusa.

Police have registered a case against two nominated and an unidentified suspects under sections 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on the report of Uzair, the brother of the deceased. DPO Dr Mustanser Atta Bajwa has directed Lalamusa Saddar SHO Sub Inspector Mehr Attique to arrest the suspects.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2025