BAHAWALPUR: At least eight persons died and three others were seriously injured in two road accidents near Vehari and Khanewal on Sunday.

In the first accident, six persons, including two brothers, died while two others suffered serious injuries in a head-on collision between an air-conditioned coach and a car near Luddan at Islam Headworks on Hasilpur-Vehari road, about 100kms from here.

According to Vehari Rescue 1122, the coach belonging was going to Faisalabad from Vehari when it collided with a car coming from opposite direction, near Luddan.

As a result six car occupants, identified as Umar(20), Talha ( 23), Hasnain (25), Haider (22), Abu Bakr (23) and an unknown man died on the spot, while the coach driver, identified as Salamat (37) of Lahore and conductor Saleem (45), a resident of Vehari suffered injuries.

Six of the deceased included two brothers and their cousins

The bodies and the injured men were shifted to Vehari DHQ Hospital.

According to eyewitnesses, the accident occurred due to speeding.

They said that in the collision, the car was completely destroyed and the rescuers had cut its frame to pull out the bodies.

As per rescuers, the deceased car occupants included two brothers and their four cousins, who were residents of Sir Syed Town, Faisalabad.

In another incident, two unidentified persons were killed in a collision between a motorcycle and a trailer on Khanewal-Kabirawala road.

The rescuers shifted the unidentified bodies to the Khanewal DHQ Hospital for identification and till the arrival of their respective families.

A team of Kabirwala police reached the scene to take action against the trailer driver.

SCHOOLGIRLS HARASSED: Uch Sharif police in Bahawalpur district claimed to have arrested two landlords for harassing schoolgirls.

As per the police, the suspects, identified as Skindar Hayat and Muhammad Sajid, both residents of Shammas Colony, Uch Sharif, allegedly harassed a group of girls who were going to school. Acting on the complaint of one Ehsan, the police arrested both suspects and impounded their double-cabin vehicle.

The police registered an FIR (No.1624/25), under sections 341, 354, 506 and 509 of the PPC against them.

In his FIR, the complainant Ehsan alleged that his niece Misbah Rehmat, along with six other girl students, was going to school on a motorcycle-rickshaw, when the suspects in a black double-cabin vehicle (No ATZ-096) intercepted them, slapped the rickshaw-driver, Imran Abbas, and dragged the girls. He added the suspects also hurled threats at the girls.

On hearing the girl’s cries for help, the rickshaw driver and others who gathered on the spot, rescued them.

The locals overpowered the suspects and handed them over to the officials of Tahirwali Highway Patrolling Police Post. They suspects were later handed over to Uch Sharif police.

CCD ENCOUNTERS: The Crime Control Department (CCD) claimed to have arrested an injured suspect in an “encounter” near Pull Thokar in the limits of Shah Shammas police station, Multan.

According to Multan CCD, the arrested suspect, along with his accomplices, opened fire on a CCD team, which was returned by police. As a result, a suspect identified as Sajin alias Sassi, a resident of Chowk Shehbaz, Multan, was found injured. He was arrested by the police.

The police say the suspect was involved in a number of criminal cases.

A case was also registered against his accomplices who fled away.

Meanwhile, according to a press release, the CCD Multan arrested a “fake” journalist, Shoaib Iftikhar.

The CCD officials are trying to track his three nominated accomplices – Malik Suleman, Malik Allah Ditta and Mazhar Makol – on the charges of extorting thousands of rupees, mango crates and wheat bags, through blackmailing and threatening the complainant, Ashiq Hussain of Khanewal.

The CCD claimed that the suspect admitted that he also deprived a man of Rs200,000 and a golden chain in the limits of Chehlak police station, Multan.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2025