MULTAN, June 2: Three alleged outlaws were killed in what seemed to be a staged encounter in the populated Hajipura locality here on Sunday morning.

Jaleelabad police had arrested three bandits Muhammad Tariq, Salauddin and Shahid a few days ago when they were busy in a dacoity in Grass Mandi, police said.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to a number of dacoities and some other crimes in the area. They said that they were part of a seven-member gang led by a former Lahore police official, Raja Riaz. The other three members were Faryad, Amjad and Sadiq. They also said that Riaz’s wife Asma had identified the potential targets.

Police claimed that teams comprising Saddar, Cantonment and Jaleelabad police stations had raided the rented house of Raja Riaz in Hajipura near Chungi No 1 to arrest their other members. Accused Tariq and Salauddin were leading the police towards Raja’s house.

Spotting the police, Riaz opened fire the bullets of which ‘incidentally’ hit Tariq and Salauddin, killing them instantly. At this, police also returned the fire after taking positions. After half-an-hour of shootout, calm prevailed from the side of Raja. Later on, when police entered his house he was found dead.

Police said they had also recovered a sizable amount of stolen and looted goods from the house of deceased Raja. However, police could not tell about the whereabouts of Asma Riaz.

Area people told journalists they had not heard the sounds of firing, but confirmed that the house of Riaz and Asma had been locked for the last few days. They said Asma would work as a beautician.

Bodies of the deceased were lying at the Nishtar Hospital mortuary even after the post-mortem as Riaz hailed from Lahore while the other two from Karachi, and they had no relatives in Multan.