Two wanted criminals were killed in an encounter by the Peshawar police in a joint operation conducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Sundvi area of Puran tehsil on Thursday.

Shangla District Police Officer (DPO) Shah Hassan told Dawn: “A police party from Peshawar came to arrest two wanted criminals after they received reports about their presence in the Sundvi area of Shangla, but they were killed in an encounter after they opened fire at the police party.”

DPO Hassan said that the special police team conducted a raid on a tip-off.

“During the operation, an exchange of fire took place, as a result of which the accused Jan Sher and Lal Sher were killed on the spot.”

He said that both were wanted in cases of extortion, firing on the police and other heinous crimes.

The DPO later visited the scene of the incident, and a complete review was conducted with Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Shangla Zahid Khan and other officers also present on the occasion.

The bodies were taken to Shaheed Pir Muhammad Khan Hospital, Puran, and further legal action was underway.

Puran Sub-Divisional Police Officer Usman Munir told Dawn that the bodies were dispatched to their hometown in Peshawar after the medico-legal procedure was completed.