VEHARI, May 17: The autopsy report of Riaz Basra and his three accomplices who were killed in an ‘encounter’ with police on May 14, revealed that they were fired upon from a distance of five to 10 feet.

There were six to seven bullets in every body, it said. Some bullets were fired on the bodies, it added.

ARRESTS: Police, in the meanwhile, arrested some people on suspicion of having links with Riaz Basra.

Sources in police department said here on Friday some people visited the DHQ Hospital on May 15 to see the bodies. Secret agencies’ personnel kept an eye on their activities and arrested them. They have been taken to some secret place, they added.

However, the Vehari SP denied that anybody was arrested.

He said one of the men who were killed along with Basra, was identified as Liaquat Meo, a resident of Kehror Pucca. His family, however, refused to receive his body, he added.

Earlier, the family of Shakil alias Hamza, had also refused to receive his body. Shakil was a resident of Sheikhupura.

Sources said the fourth accomplice of Basra was identified as Qari Shahab of Multan. He was wanted in several terrorist cases.

But, police did not confirm his identity.

VISIT TO DOKOTA: When this correspondent visited Dokota and Kot Malik village on Friday, people looked terrified. They seemed reluctant to talk to newsmen.

However, some of them confided to this scribe that the police encounter was fake. They wondered that in an half-an-hour encounter, no policeman sustained injury.

They said there was no bullet mark on the police vehicle.

They claimed that there was heavy police movement before the encounter on Tuesday night.

One of them claimed that he saw the bodies of two of the terrorists. There was no bullet hole on their clothes. However, their dresses were soaked in blood. He suspected that they might have been killed elsewhere and their bodies transported to Kot Malik.

They suspected that the Ghalvi family was involved in the police plan to kill Riaz Basra. They belied Ghalvis claim that they informed the police which reached the spot in just five minutes from various police stations of the district.

They said it took an hour to reach Dokota from Vehari, and 30 minutes from Mailsi.

Opinion

Editorial

A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...
GB polls’ aftermath
Updated 11 Jun, 2026

GB polls’ aftermath

The new administration must address the region’s issues proactively.
Peace in retreat
11 Jun, 2026

Peace in retreat

THE ceasefire announced in April was supposed to create space for negotiations. Instead, it has been repeatedly...
A few good men
11 Jun, 2026

A few good men

IT was a brave move, no doubt. This Tuesday, in the land of the Afghan Taliban, a few good men decided to take a...