LAHORE: As many as 16 suspected drug traffickers were killed and six injured in a spate of encounters across Punjab on Wednesday.

The Multan Crime Control Department officials said the police came under fire while attempting to arrest wanted suspects, prompting a retaliatory response.

In Lodhran, CCD teams were present near Kondi Canal on Multan Road to arrest wanted suspects in the City Police Station jurisdiction. Two armed men on a motorcycle opened fire on police when signalled to stop. One suspect, Zafar of Basti Gharibabad, was injured and arrested. Police recovered a 30-bore pistol and bullets from him.

Later, three armed men on a motorcycle fired at police near Adda Ruknpur Mor in Saddar police precincts. Muhammad Aslam alias Kuttay Wala of Shahdara Muhajir Colony, Bahawalpur, was found critically injured and died at the scene.

Two constables injured in TT Singh; 19 suspects, including two women, arrested

Police recovered a 30-bore pistol and bullets. Two accomplices fled, and an official vehicle was damaged in the firing.

In Khanewal, CCD teams on Allahabad Link Road attempted to stop three armed men riding a motorcycle. One suspect, Nasir Ali of Basti Faridabad, was killed.

Police recovered a 30-bore pistol from him. Two accomplices escaped and checkpoints were set up.

In Multan, a police patrol stopped two individuals on a motorcycle near Bhindi Bridge. The suspects fired at police. Constable Muhammad Safdar was hit on the chest but was unharmed due to a bulletproof vest. The suspects attempted to flee but crashed into a tree. Shahzaib alias Shaby of Khangla Chowk, Niaz Town, was arrested in injured condition. Police recovered a 30-bore pistol. His accomplice escaped.

In Vehari, CCD teams exchanged fire with three armed men near Khanpur Canal. One suspect, Allah Bakhsh of Mouza Sargana Mailsi was killed. Police recovered a 30-bore pistol and bullets. The suspect had records in 13 cases including armed robbery and drug trafficking.

In a separate incident near Chak No. WB/12, Muhammad Sajjad of Chak EB/307 Burewala, was killed in a similar encounter. Two accomplices escaped. A pistol was recovered from the scene.

In Muzaffargarh, CCD teams exchanged fire with drug dealers in Tehsil Alipur. One of the suspects Kamran alias Chhoto was killed while his accomplice fled the scene.

A CCD spokesperson said the department would continue operations to remove criminal elements and prevent drug trafficking.

In Sahiwal, three drug peddlers were killed, two critically injured while five managed their escape in three encounters during the past 24 hours.

Reports said law-enforcement agencies recovered 6.5kg drugs from traffickers.

The first encounter took place at 72/4-R in the early hours of dawn, where CCD personnel clashed with five suspects on two motorcycles. The CCD claimed Ghulam Farid Paroka was trafficking drug along with his four men to different locations. CCD men tried to stop them but they started firing at the personnel. The exchange of firing continued for 40 minutes as cops fired in self-defence. Later, the CCD staff found bodies of Ghulam Farid Proka and his younger brother Imran Farid Proka and their companion Muhammad Hasan. Their bodies were found with multiple bullets.

As per police record, both are notorious drug peddlers and wanted in many criminal cases. The CCD said their three accomplices managed to escape in fields. Police recovered 3,663 gram hashish, three pistols and two motorcycles.

CCD police registered a case under sections 353, 302, 324, 440, 149 and 148 of PPC along with Section 11/2 of the Arms Ordinance, on the complaint of Inspector Ashraf.

In another incident, Farid Town police intercepted two suspects on motorcycle on Noor Shah Road on Tuesday night. The suspects opened fire, leading to a 15-minute exchange of gunfire.

Farid Town Station House Officer Amir Farooq said later police arrested Kamran Alias Bhutta Shaikh in critically injured condition. His other accomplices managed their escape. Police recovered 1,200 gram hashish and one 30-bore pistol. Police shifted the injured to the Sahiwal Teaching Hospital.

A case was registered under sections 427, 353, 324, 186, and 34 of PPC as well as section 13 of the Narcotics Act and section 2 of the Arms Ordinance, on the complaint of Inspector Amir Farooq.

The third encounter occurred in 166/9-L Okanwala Bangla, when police on a tip-off raided the outhouse of drug trafficker Hafeez Bhatti. According to Inspector Imtiaz Hussain, the suspects opened fire, prompting retaliation. The exchange lasted 15 minutes, after which Hafeez Bhatti was injured and arrested.

Police recovered 1,620 grams of narcotics and a 30-bore pistol. His two accomplices managed to flee. The injured suspect was shifted to THQ Hospital, Chichawatni, while his accomplice escaped. A case was registered under sections 427, 186, 353, and 34 of PPC along with section 9C of the Anti-Narcotics Act and Section 13-A2 of the Arms Ordinance on the compliant of SHO Imtiaz Husssain.

In Chiniot, two drug peddlers were killed separately by the firing of their own accomplices during encounters with the CCD.

The Bhowana CCD team, led by Sub-Inspector Muhammad Ali Haral, was patrolling on Jhang Road. Following a tip-off that drug pushers would be passing through Nalka Adda, the police set up a picket. They spotted three motorcyclists, but the suspects immediately opened fire on the police near Nalka Adda on Tuesday night.

Police retaliated. After the exchange of fire ceased, one person was found dead, believed to have been shot by his own accomplices. The deceased was identified at THQ Bhowana hospital as Ijaz Ali Nai of the Bhowana area, who had a prior record of drug pushing.

In a separate incident, a CCD Chiniot police team was picketing near Chak No. 127 Bhattiwala when suspects opened fire. Police returned fire.

When the suspects fled, police found a second person dead from the firing, also allegedly shot by his fleeing accomplices. The deceased was identified as Nadeem of Chak No. 127 Bhattiwala, who was also previously implicated in drug-pushing cases.

In Toba Tek Singh (Faisalabad division), six suspects, including five alleged drug peddlers, were killed, and one police constable was injured during encounters on Wednesday.Four suspects were killed in three encounters in Faisalabad district.

In Razaabad, drug peddler Shafiq was killed in a crossfire incident near graveyard area. In Saddar division, Akmal alias Jinnu was killed in an alleged encounter near Chak 139 GB.

The CCD Jaranwala team encountered two motorcycle riders who opened fire. During the exchange of fire, two suspects, identified as Ehsan alias Shani and Ali Sher, were injured. They were shifted to the hospital but later succumbed to their injuries. Five of their accomplices reportedly escaped.

In Gojra, CCD In-charge Inspector Faryad Ali Cheema and his team were patrolling near Chak 370 JB on Mongi Road when they signalled a suspicious group on a motorcycle to stop.

The suspects allegedly opened fire on the police party, which retaliated. The motorcycle-riding suspects managed to escape.

Following a search operation, one injured person was found who later succumbed to his wounds. He was identified as Akbar Ali, a resident of Madinabad, Kamalia, and is said to be an alleged drug dealer.A drug dealer was killed in an encounter with the CCD in Jhang, and a constable sustained injuries.

The CCD team was present near the Aliabad Bypass Road when they signalled two persons on a bike to stop. The suspects immediately began firing indiscriminately, injuring Constable Umar Farooq.

The two suspects fled toward nearby fields. As more CCD personnel reached the spot, the armed accused resumed firing.

After the firing stopped, a search operation located an injured person who identified himself as Safdar alias Safdari, a drug peddler.He was shifted to the DHQ hospital but succumbed to his severe injuries. Police stated that he was killed by the firing of his own accomplice.

In Bahawalpur, the CCD claimed to have killed a notorious drug peddler, Kamran alias Kami Langra, from Banker Colony during an encounter near the Northern Bypass.

A CCD team attempted to stop three suspects on a motorcycle. The suspects allegedly opened fire upon seeing the police. The CCD officials retaliated, and Kamran was killed. A police official, Mulazim Hussain, was injured, allegedly hit by the firing of Kamran’s two fleeing accomplices.

Kamran was a history-sheeter known for allegedly supplying narcotics, including ice to students in educational institutions.

Police recovered ice and a 30-bore pistol from the deceased’s possession. His body was shifted to Bahawal Victoria Hospital for autopsy.

A case has been registered against his two fleeing accomplices.In a separate encounter within the limits of Karampur police in Mailsi tehsil (Vehari district), police claimed to have arrested a drug peddler in an injured condition.

Reports said a patrol encountered three suspects during a road blockade. When challenged by the police party, the suspects allegedly opened fire.

Police retaliated and after the firing stopped, one suspect was found injured who was identified as Iqbal of Malikwahan.

SHO Karampur Shehzad Amin shifted the injured suspect to the hospital for treatment.

Police claimed the recovery of over two kilograms of narcotics from the scene and registered a case against the two fleeing accomplices. In Okara, police arrested 19 alleged drug dealers, including two women, and seized over 39kg narcotics. One suspect was injured and captured after an exchange of fire.

In Haveli Lakkha, near Pananagar, an alleged drug peddler identified as Hafeez alias Hafeezo was injured and arrested following an exchange of fire.

Hafeez, nominated in seven cases of drugs and illicit weapons, was shifted to hospital. His accomplice managed to escape.

Police recovered one motorcycle, an illicit weapon, and two packets of charas from the injured suspect’s possession.In separate actions across the district, police arrested 19 alleged drug dealers, including two women. The arrested women were identified as Bushra, who was apprehended with 11 kg of charas, and Khadija, arrested from village Dhaliana (Tehsil Dipalpur) with 1.6kg charas.

Nineteen cases have been registered against the suspects under the Control of Narcotics Substance Act.

Imran Gabol from Lahore, Majeed Gill from Bahawalpur, Tariq Saeed from Toba Tek Singh, Aslam Piracha from Okara, Shafiq Butt from Sahiwal and Aurangzeb Malik from Chiniot contributed to this report.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2025