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GUJRANWALA, March 24: Sabzi Mandi police arrested a terrorist after an encounter while his accomplice managed to escape in the dark on the Katch Khiali Road here late Saturday night.
The SHO and two constables sustained serious bullet injuries during a brief exchange of firing. Police also recovered hand grenades and automatic weapons from the arrested accused.
A police party headed by the SHO was patrolling the area when they intercepted two suspects at about 10 pm, but they opened fire on police after taking shelter of nearby houses. Police also returned the fire. The shootout lasted for half an hour after which police succeeded in arresting a terrorist while his accomplice sped in the dark. SHO Amir Sundho, headconstable Qurban Ali and constable Muhammad Arshad sustained bullet injuries and were rushed to the local DHQ Hospital in critical condition.
DIG Khawaja Khalid Farooq and SSP Muhammad Aslam Tarin rushed to the spot.
During interrogation, he told police that they were going to target a Mehndi procession of the Shia community on the Sialkot Road. He also divulged that he had planted a bomb in Jhang and opened fire on majalis a few years ago. But the bomb could not explode while scores of people were injured in firing.
The arrested accused is an activist of banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and SSP. He got training in Afghanistan in 1994 and also took part in jihad in Afghanistan and Kashmir.
He claimed that leaders of the banned outfits had purchased him mobile phones and he had direct contacts with them. These mobile phones were used with different code numbers for terrorist activities, he said. He had also learnt the technique of manufacturing an explosive and hand-grenade, he said. He was also involved in a number of dacoity and robbery cases.
Police were not disclosing his name for further investigation.
The Punjab governor and IGP have felicitated the Gujranwala police in thwarting a terrorist activity. Police were raiding on different places for the arrest of his accomplice.
STABBED: A man was stabbed to death by his rivals over an old enmity in Sultanpura here on Sunday.
Muhammad Akmal alias Goga, an addict, was present in his house when Muhammad Iqbal alias Bala and Muhammad Asif called him out. They took him to a deserted place and escaped after killing him with repeated blows of knives. Police removed his body to mortuary for autopsy.
A case has been registered against the accused.
