LAHORE, June 18: Four proclaimed offenders were killed in a ‘suspected’ shootout with the CIA police at an outhouse near T-4 locality of Islampura early Monday.

Police claimed that suspects were involved in murder, dacoity, kidnapping for ransom and other heinous crimes and were wanted by Faisalabad, Sheikhupura and Lahore police in a number of cases.

According to police, an under-investigation accused, Muhammad Attique alias Balokan, disclosed that his three accomplices Zahid alias Raju, Altaf alias Tafa and Sadiq alias Babbi were involved in a number of heinous crimes in Lahore and they took shelter in the tribal area after committing crimes.

He said presently his accomplices were hiding at an outhouse of Chaudhry Abid and could be arrested after a raid.

At this, CIA SP Muhammad Umar Virk constituted a raiding party headed by SI Muhammad Akram of Civil Lines division CIA. As the team reached the spot, the suspects opened fire on police which resulted in serious injuries to accused Attique alias Balokan of Misri Shah.

The raiding party returned the fire which continued for about an hour. When the firing from suspects stopped, police found accused Altaf alias Tafa and Sadiq alias Babbi, both brothers and residents of Ferozewala, dead on the spot while their third accomplice Zahid alias Raju seriously injured. He also expired while being taken to a hospital.

Police recovered four Kalashnikovs, Rs2 million, several bullets and three pistols from the spot.

A case has been registered against the accused under sections 324/353/186 PPC and AO 13/20/65.

However, not a single policeman was injured in the shootout and only the arrested suspect, what police claimed, suffered injuries in firing of his accomplices.

A source in the CIA police said that suspects had been in police custody for one month and were killed in a staged encounter.

According to a police record, at least 38 cases were registered against the suspects in Faisalabad, Sheikhupura and Lahore districts.

As many as 27 cases were registered against Zahid alias Raju, six each against Altaf alias Tafa and Sadiq alias Babbi, and five against Attique alias Balokan.

The suspects were involved in the  murder of two persons in the Ferozewala police station area; abduction of Misri Shah trader Ijaz Butt’s son Talha and his release after receiving Rs4 million and several other heinous crimes, including a police encounter in Badami Bagh which resulted in the killing of SI Naveed Bhatti.

Attique was in the custody of Civil Lines (CIA) while three others were captured by the Cantonment CIA.