GUJRAT, July 23: A nominated accused, who was declared a proclaimed offender in the Madina Syedan incident in which 16 people were murdered on May 15, was shot dead by Jalalpur Jattan police in an encounter in Chenab bela near Khasa on Friday.

However, three unidentified accomplices of slain PO Rizwan Ejaz alias Razi Shah beat a retreat by taking advantage of the darkness. A DPO office spokesman told newsmen that the police had been tipped off about forming of a new gang of criminals under the patronage of PO Razi Shah.

He said the PO had been collecting assault weapons and had plans to kill some key members of families of slain, including the complainant.

He said the informer had also given out that after the Madina Syedan incident, Razi Shah had become a symbol of terror and started collecting protection money from industrialists.

Jalalpur Jattan's Sadar SHO Ghulam Sarwar Gondal was informed about the presence of Razi Shah and his accomplices in Chenab Bela near Khasa, the spokesman said adding a heavy police contingent reached there and besieged the locality.

The police directed the criminals to lay down their arms, but they opened fire which was returned. The shootout that continued for half an hour left Razi Shah dead while his three unidentified accomplices turned tail. The police recovered a Kalashnikov, four nirga grenades besides a huge quantity of cartridges from the site of encounter.

The spokesman said that slain Razi Shah was the nominated accused in the Madina Syedan incident and was later declared a PO in that case. He had started his criminal career in 1986 and remained nominated accused in nine cases, he added.