SARGODHA: A police official was killed in an encounter on Thursday in the limits of Laksian Police station in Kot Momin tehsil.

According to the police, the Laksian Police received a call that one Malik Taswar was firing in the streets of his village while drunk.

When a police team reached the spot, the suspect allegedly opened fire and Laksian SHO Amir Rizwan Khan was hit in the chest.

He was immediately shifted to the Faisal Masood Teaching Hospital, Sargodha, in a critical condition. However, he succumbed to his injury. A heavy police contingent, including Elite Force personnel, was called to the spot, while the Sargodha DPO also reached the spot.

Police were conducting a search operation after cordoning off the area to arrest the suspect.

Booked: A husband was booked on Thursday for allegedly torturing his wife and throwing her and their three daughters and a son out of the house for not giving him money for drugs.

In her complaint, Irum Bibi of Hussain Park locality in Sargodha city, alleged that her husband Israr Ahmed was an alcoholic and did not work, forcing her to work to support her four children.

According to the complaint, when she refused to give him money for drugs, he started beating her and tried to kill her with a knife. She claimed that after torturing her, he threw her out of the house along with her four children.

The Urban Area Police registered a case against the accused and started investigations.

ARRESTED: A traffic police official was arrested on Thursday for allegedly threatening and extorting money from dumper drivers at the 58 barrier on Faisalabad Road.

As per details, the Atta Shaheed Police registered a case against official Shahid Mahmood Bajwa and his accomplices Rizwan Niswana and Nasir Kasab after dumper drivers recorded videos of people taking money from them.

The suspects were subsequently arrested by the police. The suspects used to extort Rs500 from each driver by threatening them at the checkpoint.

ENCROACHMENTS: The administration has cleared the encroachments from the corridors of the historic Jamia Masjid Block No 1 that was built in 1899 and restored it to its original condition.

As per details, after the media highlighted the matter, the administration sprung into action and restored the historic mosque to its original appearance by clearing the corridors from encroaching traders. However, locals said that the basement and the residence of the Imam of the mosque were still occupied by traders.

They demanded that the administration take action and remove these encroachments too and hand it over to the mosque administration.

CRIME: Regional Police Officer (RPO) Muhammad Shahzad Asif Khan, while formulating a strategy for combating crimes, has said that instructions have been issued to all district heads declaring this year as the year of combating crime.

The RPO said that last year, 349 murder cases were registered in Sargodha region and 937 accused and another 316 wanted criminals were arrested through effective investigation.

He said that the timely arrest and punishment of the accused had helped in preventing crime.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2026