LAHORE: Four suspects were killed and three were injured in alleged encounters with the Crime Control Department (CCD) in different cities of the province on Saturday.

Two of the suspected robbers, who were in police custody, were killed in encounters in different areas of Lahore.

In the first incident at Sabzazar, an alleged robber was being taken to recover looted items when his accomplices opened fire at the police to get him released.

The suspect suffered bullet wounds allegedly by the firing of his accomplices. He was shifted to hospital where he could not survive.

In another incident in Gujjarpura, the police was taking a suspect to recover the robbed material when his accomplices opened fire. The police retaliated, forcing his accomplices to flee.

The police team returned to the vehicle and found the suspect dead. He was later identified as Ghulam Dastgeer.

In the Multan division, two suspected robbers were killed and three were injured in separate encounters by the CCD.

According to the official story, a police team was patrolling the Sohni Dharti Bridge Southern Bypass when a citizen, Abubakar, called helpline 15, saying that five robbers snatched four cattle from him. They loaded the animals on a truck and set off for Multan.

The team set up a picket on southern bypass and signalled a truck to stop. The suspects stopped the vehicle but opened fire at the policemen who retaliated in self-defence.

When the firing stopped, two suspects were found dead while three others escaped. Police also recovered two pistols from the site. The deceased were identified as Ghulam Husain and Muhammad Riaz. Police claimed that both the deceased were wanted in robbery and theft cases.

In Vehari, the CCD was patrolling near the Education University forest when it came across three robbers. The suspects opened fire on the police party and a shoot-out started.

When the firing stopped, a suspect was seen lying on the ground in injured condition. The police claimed that he was injured by the firing of his own accomplices just like other ‘template encounter stories’. The suspect was identified as Waris Ali who, according to the CCD, was involved in several robbery and theft cases.

Police shifted the injured to hospital and recovered a pistol from him.

In Khanewal, a CCD team arrested two suspects who were injured during an alleged encounter.

The team received a call on 15 from a citizen who complained that four robbers had set up a picket at 28 Mor and they were robbing citizens.

As soon as the CCD team reached the scene, the suspects opened fire at it. The team retaliated and an exchange of fire started. It left two suspects injured by the ‘firing of their accomplices’. The injured, identified as Hamza and Habib, were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. The police alleged that they were proclaimed offenders.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2025