TOBA TEK SINGH: Four brothers, allegedly involved in dozens of cases registered against them under ATA, including charges of robbery, murder, kidnapping for ransom, extortion of money, were killed in an ‘encounter’ with a CCD team in Dulliwali police precincts, Bhakkar, early on Thursday morning.

A Faisalabad police official said based on intelligence reports, a team of plainclothes policemen was sent to Bhakkar to trace the suspects, who were reportedly holding kidnapped men brought from various parts of the country. Once the suspects’ presence was confirmed, a heavy police force raided the hideout.

A fierce gunbattle ensued for over two hours. When the firing stopped, all four suspects were found dead.

The deceased were identified as Gulfam Shah, Umer Shah, Hussnain Shah and Bilal Shah, residents of Chak Jhumra, Faisalabad. Over the past decade, the Shah brothers had managed to escape multiple police encounters, some of which resulted in casualties to law-enforcement personnel and their gang.

In one such encounter last year in Vehari, a DSP from Faisalabad was critically injured, though the suspects escaped. Following that, Gulfam Shah repeatedly surfaced in Faisalabad to challenge police, evading arrest each time.

In 2024, members of the gang allegedly murdered two young sisters in the Jaranwala area, suspecting them to be police informers. The Shah gang had become a symbol of terror in Faisalabad, reportedly extorting industrialists and even making ransom threats to overseas Pakistanis via calls from Pakistan.

FAMILY FEUD: Two people were killed and four others critically injured in a clash between two groups over a marriage dispute at Chak 242 RB Chanchal Singhwala on Wednesday.

The deceased were identified as Abdul Samad (20) and Ishtiaq Ahmad (38). The injured were named as Abdul Sattar (55), Zeeshan (24), Sakina Bibi (40) and Usama (23). Police are investigating the incident.

BURNT ALIVE: A labourer was burnt alive and another seriously injured when a tractor-trolley loaded with wheat husk caught fire after hitting an electric pole on Multan-Faisalabad Road near Harisabad on Thursday.

According to Rescue 1122, the trolley was carrying around 400 maunds of wheat husk when it first collided with a rickshaw and then struck an electric pole. Live wires fell onto the trolley, igniting a fire. While some labourers managed to jump off, two got entangled in the wires.

Muhammad Rizwan was burnt alive at the scene, while Arshad sustained serious injuries and was taken to Pirmahal THQ Hospital.

WALK: The University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) organised an awareness walk to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The event was arranged by the Faculty of Health and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zulfiqar Ali led the walk and called for the need for collective efforts to eliminate drug addiction from society.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2025