MARDAN: A police constable was gunned down outside the boundary wall of the Police Lines here in the early hours of Monday morning, police sources said.

Police officials told reporters that the victim, identified as Constable Sher Moham­mad Khan, was on duty in a security room located adjacent to the boundary wall of Police Lines Mardan.

They said preliminary investigations showed that two suspected militants entered the security room at around 2.30am on Monday and shot the constable in his head, killing him on the spot.

Hearing the sound of gunshots, they said, police personnel manning the security checkpost outside the building of Police Lines opened fire on the attackers, but they managed to escape taking advantage of the darkness.

Soon after the attack police personnel cordoned off the area and launched a search operation in localities adjacent to Police Lines.

The counterterrorism department of police has registered an FIR against unidentified attackers.

Later, the funeral prayer for the slain police constable was offered at 11am which was attended by Commissioner of Mardan Zakir Hussain Afridi, DPO Faisal Shehzad, SP Investigation Mohammad Shahid Khan, other officials and elders of the area.

It may be recalled here that a large-scale joint search operation was conducted by police and other security forces in parts of Mardan and Swabi districts a month ago.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd , 2016