LAHORE: Two suspects were killed while one was injured in separate encounters by the Punjab Crime Control Department (CCD) in different parts of the province.

The Punjab CCD, a specialised unit dedicated to tackling gangster rackets, shooters, dacoity, robbery, rape, murder, and land mafia cases, was established to ensure swift response against criminal elements. The department has intensified its operations recently in what it calls a crackdown on criminal elements in the province, leading to deadly confrontations.

In the first incident, the CCD claimed to have killed a suspect involved in kidnap for ransom in an encounter in Nishtar Colony, Lahore.

According to the spokesperson, the CCD officials were present in the Nishtar Colony area when they signalled three motorcyclists coming from Kasur to stop for checking. The motorcyclists opened fire at the officials which was retaliated.

The spokesperson claimed that one motorcyclists suffered a bullet wound and fell, while two of his accomplices fled the scene. The injured suspect was taken to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

The CCD claimed that deceased suspect Asif Faiz was involved in kidnap for ransom and cases were registered against him at different police stations.

Police shifted the body to the morgue and started investigation.

Earlier, Multan CCD also claimed to have killed a robbery suspect in an encounter.

According to the CCD spokesperson, they received a call that three armed men on a motorcycle snatched cash and a motorcycle from Iqbal in the Industrial Area.

The CCD officials erected a check-post near Naseem Bridge and signalled motorcycle riders to stop. The motorcyclists tried to flee the scene and also opened fire at the police. The CCD officials chased the suspects and resorted to aerial firing. They found an unidentified suspect near the bank of the canal, while two others fled the scene.

The suspect was injured in firing by his accomplices, the police claimed.

Police shifted the injured to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The identity of the suspect was not established till the filing of this report.

The body was shifted to Nishtar Hospital for autopsy and investigation was underway.

A Lodhran CCD team had set up a check-post near Bahishti Bridge Link road and signalled two motorcyclists to stop. Police said the suspects did not stop and opened fire. The police retaliated and one of the suspects got injured and fell from the bike while the other fled the scene.

The CCD took the injured man into custody and shifted him to a nearby hospital. The suspect was identified as Sajawal Umair and found to be involved in several robberies.

The police claimed to have recovered a pistol and a motorcycle.

CTD: The Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) claims to have arrested 34 suspected militants belonging to different banned organisations during several intelligence-based operations in different areas of Punjab.

Two high-profile suspected terrorists were arrested from Lahore along with explosives and both of them were affiliated with Fitna al Khawarij.

According to CTD spokesperson, 415 intelligence-based operations in different districts of the province were conducted to effectively deal with any untoward incident of terrorism. A total of 420 suspects were questioned and 34 militants were arrested along with weapons, explosives and other prohibited materials, the spokesperson claimed.

The arrested alleged terrorists include Muhammad Ashfaq,

Ismail Khan, Naseerullah, Irshad, Saqib, Shoaib, Muhammad Usman, Muhammad Adeel, Muhammad Ki Naam, Muhammad Suleman, Hamza Tariq, Qazi Khan, Sakhi Zaman and others. He added that the suspected terrorists were affiliated with Fitna al Khawarija and other organisations.

He said the suspected terrorists were arrested during operations in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Jhelum, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, Narowal, Jhelum, Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar, Bukhara, Kasur and Nankana Sahib.

The authorities also recovered 5,841 grams of explosives, 19 detonators, 51 feet of safety-fuse wire , a hand grenade, 75 pamphlets of banned organisations, magazines, prima cards, mobile phones and cash from their possession.

The spokesperson claimed the terrorists were planning to target important buildings in different cities. He said that 23 cases had been registered against the arrested terrorists and further investigation was underway.

He said that as many as 5,045 combing operations were also conducted with the cooperation of local police and security agencies during the current month. In these, 209,518 people were checked, 604 suspects were arrested, 561 FIRs were registered and 456 recoveries were made, he added.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2025