VEHARI, Jan 24: The ringleader of a gang was killed by the firing of his accomplices in an encounter with police on Wednesday morning at Sardarpur Jhandeer town of Mailsi tehsil.

Vehari DPO Malik Tasaddaq Hayat stated this at a press conference in Mailsi Press Club on Wednesday evening.

He said police arrested ring leader Mohammad Yar alias Yari of Kehror Pucca tehsil on the charge of kidnap for ransom of five-year-old Hazifa Nadeem of Mailsi three days ago. He had received Rs1 million ransom from the child’s family.

During investigation, he gave the addresses of the hideouts of his gang and told police that the ransom amount was also there.

Mailsi city police recovered the amount from a hideout in Chak 22/M in the Dhanote police station area. They were on way to another hideout for the arrest his accomplices when four gunmen on two motorcycles intercepted them near Bassi village of Sardarpur Jhandeer. They opened fire on the police party for the release of their ringleader Yari. Police returned the fire and an encounter continued for around 30 minutes in which Yari was killed when a bullet fired by his accomplices hit him. However, the attackers managed to escape, he added.

The DPO claimed that the gang was involved in the murder of Advocate Mohammad Hashim and his relative of Kehror Pucca.

He said the gang was involved in about a dozen cases, including kidnap for ransom, murder, gang-rape and vehicles snatching.

He said the gang had been active in the district for the last one year. He expressed the hope that the other members of the gang would be arrest soon.

He said the police team, which arrested Yari, has been awarded Rs1 million reward and certificates. The DPO handed over the recovered amount of ransom to Haji Abdul Rashid, the grandfather of Hazifa.

The body of Yari was still lying in the Mailsi THQ Hospital as none of his relatives had come to receive it. — Correspondent