LAHORE, May 16: A gunman, who was killed during a shootout with Gowalmandi police near Mominpura graveyard on Tuesday night, turned out to be a serving police constable on Wednesday who allegedly committed at least two robberies in the city.

SSP (Operations) Sajjad Hassan Manj told Dawn that constable Sajjad Ahmad of Pakpattan was recently posted to investigation wing headquarters. He said Ahmad, who was in his 20s, was earlier serving the Punjab Constabulary.

He said Ahmad and his runaway accomplice snatched a bike from a man in Mustafa Town police precincts a few months ago and used it with applied-for-registration number plate. Police found the bike at the scene of the shootout and traced a case about its snatching in the police record.

He said Ahmad and his accomplice looted cash and valuables from motorcyclist Farooq Chaudhry and his family near FC College Underpass on Canal Road a few days ago and a case was registered with Shadman police.

The SSP said police found

Ahmad’s police card, CNIC, some ATM cards and a couple of magazines on his body. He said before the shootout Ahmad introduced himself to Gowalmandi SHO Abdul Sattar, who was injured by his fire, as a policeman and asked him to let him and his accomplice go. He said they opened fire on police when the SHO tried to take them to the police station.

Manj said police were verifying Ahmad’s criminal record and trying to arrest his runaway accomplice. He said it had yet to be established if Ahmad’s accomplice was a policeman.