NAROWAL: Five suspected robbers were killed and two managed their escape in a shoot-out with a Crime Control Department teamnear Kartu Stop at Chak Bhalla on the Narowal-Muridke Road.

According to police, the robbers had set up a roadblock and were looting citizens at gunpoint. On receiving information, a CCD team rushed to the spot, where the suspects opened fire with automatic weapons. The police retaliated in self-defence, and a heavy contingent later joined the operation.

After the exchange of fire, five suspects were found dead, allegedly killed by firing from their own accomplices, while two unidentified armed men fled the scene.

The deceased were identified as Shahroz and Usman (brothers, residents of Ghakkar, Narang Mandi), Shoaib and Saif (brothers, residents of Shahzad Town Muridke), and Faraz (resident of village Agrian). All were wanted in dozens of cases of murder, attempted murder, and robbery.

Police sources said two days earlier, the same gang had intercepted a family near Kartu Stop, where they shot dead a woman, Mehwish Bibi of Lahore Cantt, and injured her husband when she resisted.

The bodies of the suspects were shifted to Muridke Tehsil Headquarters Hospital for postmortem examination, and legal proceedings have been initiated. The CCD and the Sheikhupura district police have launched a search operation to trace the two absconding suspects.

Locals, including Muhammad Ehsanullah, Irfan Ahmed, Tariq Mahmood, and Muhammad Raheel, said that robberies had become a daily occurrence on Narowal-Muridke and New Lahore roads over the past month, with gangs looting millions in cash, gold, and valuables. They urged the Punjab government to continue operations against criminal gangs and ensure safe travel for citizens.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2025