OKARA: A suspect was killed, while seven others were injured in alleged encounters with the Crime Control Department (CCD) in various parts of the province.

According to the FIR, a CCD team was positioned at the Lower Bari Doab Canal (LBDC) near the Kot Bari Pull on Tuesday night when suspicious motorcyclists were signalled to stop. The FIR claimed that the suspects opened fire on the CCD team, which was also retaliated. It further claimed that the suspects tried to escape and the CCD team chased the fleeing gunmen and called for reinforcements.

Police claimed the attackers abandoned their bike near village 26/2R and kept on firing on the police team resulting in Constable Muhammad Mujahid receiving bullet shots. However, police claimed that he remained safe due to a bulletproof jacket, while a CCD vehicle was damaged in the attack.

Later, police claimed to have found one of the alleged gunmen lying injured on the roadside. He was identified as one Manzoor Khan, a resident of Basti Petrol Pump Bangla Gogera. The police claimed to have also recovered a weapon with two bullets. Police claimed another suspect identified as Aqib, a resident of Sumandri in Faisalabad district, was also found lying injured. A weapon and four bullets were recovered from his procession while one suspect managed to escape, police claimed.

Police claimed that suspect Aqib died due to his injuries on the spot. He was involved in 43 cases of heinous crimes.

BAHAWALPUR: The Bahawalpur CCD claimed to have arrested three alleged criminals in injured condition after two separate encounters in Ahmedpur East and Hasilpur.

According to CCD officials, in Ahmedpur East, a CCD team confronted four suspects riding on two motorcycles. They claimed that during an exchange of firing, two suspects suffered injuries with the firing of their own two accomplices, who managed to flee under the cover of darkness. CCD claimed the injured were identified as Asghar and Zulqarnain, who were wanted in several criminal cases by police stations in Bahawalpur and other areas.

They were shifted to the Ahmedpur East THQ hospital. CCD claimed to have recovered a snatched motorcycle from their possession and a case had been registered against their two fleeing accomplices.

In another encounter in the limits of Hasilpur police station, CCD claimed that their team signalled two suspects to stop, who opened fire on the team. They claimed that this led to an exchange of fire and as a result, one suspect was injured by the firing of his own accomplice, who fled away from the scene.

The injured suspect was identified as Fayyaz and he was shifted to a hospital in Bahawalpur.

TOBA TEK SINGH: The Faisalabad Dijkot police claimed to have re-arrested two alleged robbers, wanted in more than two dozen robberies, in injured condition on Wednesday evening after an encounter.

Police claimed that ASI Sohaib along with other cops was taking detained accused Adeel and Shahzad for recovery, when four suspects riding on motorcycles opened fire on the van near the graveyard of Chak 259 RB Grusar. Police claimed the attackers freed the arrested accused and fled.

Police claimed that on being informed, SHO Dijkot police Haq Nawaz reached the spot with a heavy contingent of police, while the accused continued to fire at the police, which was also returned. Police claimed that when the firing stopped, the escaped suspects, Adeel and Shahzad, were found lying injured by the firing of their own accomplices, who managed to escape. The injured suspects were re-arrested and shifted to the Allied Hospital, police claimed.

In another incident, the Mian Channu Saddar police claimed that three suspicious motorcyclists were signalled to stop during a routine patrol near Pul Chak 15/L.

Police claimed the suspects opened indiscriminate fire on the police party and the police retaliated. During the exchange, one of the accused was injured by the fire of his own accomplices and fell down, and was immediately arrested by the police.

The arrested accused was identified as Javed Iqbal, while his two accomplices fled. The injured accused was shifted to Mian Channu THQ Hospital.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2026