MULTAN, March 2: Five police officials, including Rojhan SDPO, were injured in a shootout with highwaymen on the Indus Highway in Rajanpur district on Sunday night.

Information gleaned by this correspondent revealed that some bandits stopped a Karachi-bound bus near Miani Phatak on the highway in Rohan police station precincts. The armed men opened fire at the vehicle, injuring five passengers.

The injured were identified as Jamshed Khalid of Lahore, Intizar Qureshi of Jampur, Muhammad Ishaq and Sharif Ahmad of Dera Ghazi Khan and Amanullah of Toba Tek Singh.

The bandits were plundering cash and valuables from the bus occupants when an Elite Force mobile squad arrived there. Seeing the law enforcers, the bandits opened indiscriminate firing on them. Consequently, constables Sajjad Husain, Muhammad Azam, Muhammad Hassan and Muhammad Hashim were grievously injured.

Meanwhile, Rojhan Senior District Police Officer Naveed Ikram also rushed to the troubled spot along with a police contingent. The bandits also fired at his vehicle and injured the SDPO.

They reportedly pulled out wireless set of the SDPO’s vehicle and took the device with them while fleeing through the Khakhar Road.

Passenger Jamshed Khalid, who fought for life for some time, died.

Constable Sajjad Husain was referred to the Nishtar Hospital because of his precarious condition. Rest of the injured were being treated at the Rajanpur District Headquarters Hospital.

The place of shootout was the same spot from where some Bugti tribesmen had kidnapped three police officials on January 26 last.

The authorities have yet to recover the kidnapped officials.