ISLAMABAD: Contradictions have been found in the statement of the capital police and the content of an FIR registered over an encounter in which a suspect was gunned down three days ago.

The statement claimed that the suspect was wanted in connection with a number of cases while the FIR said his criminal activities were not reported to police, Dawn has learnt.

Besides, an e-tag was not given to the FIR which was registered after more than 14 hours of the incident. As per the FIR, the police cordoned off the hideout of the suspect but his accomplices managed to escape.

Over the encounter that took place at Pindori Syedan, the FIR was registered at the Kirpa police station under section 302, 324, 353, 186, 427, 148 and 148 along with a section of the Arms Ordinance.

Police say wanted suspect gunned down by his own accomplices when their hideout was raided on April 9

Talking to Dawn, senior police officers said an e-tag allotted to a complaint lodged with the police was also mentioned in the FIR. This e-tag is generated by the computer along with the name of the police station concerned and the date along with a serial number, they added.

Besides, the e-tag also has details about the complaint and the date and time on which it was lodged with the police. According to the FIR, the encounter occurred at around 4:30am on April 9 and over the incident a report was registered in the daily diary (Roznamcha) at around 8:15am.

The police delayed the registration of the FIR for over 12 hours and at around 6pm on April 9 its PRO confirmed to Dawn that the case was yet to be registered.

According to the FIR, the police raided the hideout of the suspects at Pindori Syedan in response to information about the presence of a proclaimed offender, Bahadur Ali, and his accomplices wanted to police in connection with a murder and attempted murder case registered on September 8, 2023, at the Kirpa police station. The suspects had formed a gang and they were carrying out robberies almost every day. Besides, the wealth and honour of the citizens were not safe from them, it added.

Moreover, people were so terrorised by the gang that they did not report their activities to the police, the FIR said. In response to the information, a 12-member police team along with an armed personnel carrier (APC) reached the hideout and cordoned it off.

The police knocked at the door of the Dera and in response Ahmed Shah, armed with a Kalashnikov, opened it, the FIR said. Seeing the police, he started shouting and soon his four to five accomplices opened fire from inside.

“Ahmed Shah sustained bullet injuries from the firing of his accomplices and fell on the ground and died,” it claimed. However, the two policemen at the door remained unhurt as they were in protective gear. Later, the other suspects escaped from the rear even though the police chased them.

On the other hand, a police statement posted on X on April 9, 2024 at 2:53pm claimed that Ahmed Shah was wanted in connection with over 12 cases of murder, dacoity and robbery registered at Loi Bher and Sihala police stations. This was despite the fact that the FIR had stated that people did not report their criminal activities to the police. The statement claimed that Ahmed Shah was a proclaimed offender, but in FIR Bahadur Ali was described as the proclaimed offender.

On April 9, the police PRO through a message had invited media persons to an ‘important’ press conference by DIG Operations Syed Shahzad Nadeem Bukhari at 3:45pm at Police Lines Headquarters. But it was canceled at the eleventh hour due to unknown reasons, the officers said, adding the police were to announce at the press conference the arrest of a criminal wanted in connection with a number of cases.

When contacted, the police PRO said an e-tag was allocated only to a complaint lodged for registration of a case. In the instant case, the FIR was registered in response to an “istaghasa” prepared by police and hence an e-tag was not issued.

He said a complaint and istaghasa were different as the latter was a police proceeding.

However, a lawyer and senior police officers, when contacted, explained to Dawn that the word istaghasa meant a complainant and without a complaint no FIR can be registered. As per section 154 of CrPC, a case (FIR) is registered only in response to a complaint either written or verbal, they added.

In a verbal complaint, the SHO concerned is bound to write the complaint and get the signature of the complainant on it after reading it out to him before registering the FIR. In any case, a complaint is mandatory for the registration of an FIR, either from the victim or the police on behalf of the state, they added.

The PRO also said the police had information about Bahadur Ali but during the raid at the hideout they found another proclaimed offender.

When asked how he was wanted by the police and declared a proclaimed offender when people were afraid of registering complaints about his criminal activities, the PRO said people avoided registering cases against him in recent months but the suspect was wanted to police in connection with FIRs registered long ago.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2024