ISLAMABAD: Capital police on Sunday had an early morning encounter with members of an inter-provincial car-lifting gang during which three suspects were killed.

However the police claimed that all of them were killed in “friendly fire” by their accomplices.

According to the police, law enforcement agencies had been chasing the gang members for the last two months, collecting information about them through Safe City cameras and human sources. A route was planned for their movements, and sources informed the police that the gang was heading towards Islamabad from Murree.

“Based on this information, teams from Anti-Vehicle Lifting Cell (AVLC), Crisis Response Team (CRT) and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) set up special checkpoints in various areas. In the morning, at the Kashmir Chowk checkpoint, police teams attempted to stop their vehicles coming from Murree Road,” a police official said.

“The suspects were travelling in two cars, and they suddenly started firing at the police teams. The gunfire from the GLI vehicle killed three of their own gang members whereas the police team remained safe,” he claimed.

“A woman was also injured in the firing. However, the suspects who fired from the GLI car managed to escape, the official said, adding that the police immediately shifted the bodies and the injured to the hospital.

The deceased were identified as Ilyas Khan and Waqas Khan from Charsadda while the third body was yet to be identified. The injured woman was identified as Haseeba Amjad. The deceased, Ilyas Khan, was the leader of the car-lifting gang,“ he added.

The police official said the suspects had stolen a car from Murree on Saturday night and were fleeing whereas the other car, a Honda Civic, was stolen from Lahore.

“Police recovered multiple unregistered number plates, jammers, mobilisers, ignition breakers, an SMG gun and pistols from the car, he added.

He said upon receiving information about the incident, a large contingent of police force arrived at the scene and dispatched various teams to arrest the suspects. Multiple cases were already registered against them in different districts.

DIG Islamabad Syed Ali Raza said Allah granted Islamabad police a significant success.

“This was a notorious inter-provincial gang which was involved in car thefts across different districts as well as direct attacks on law enforcement officials,” he said.

DIG Raza said they had been receiving real-time information about the gang through human sources, adding that a team in Charsadda was also tracking the gang, and it was reported that the gang had come to Islamabad and Murree for car lifting activities.

“With complete tracking, the police reviewed their routes and set up checkpoints accordingly. In the morning, the gang was heading from Murree to Islamabad after committing theft. The police were fully prepared to ensure their arrest. As soon as the gang reached near Kashmir Chowk, they started firing upon seeing the police and began driving the car in the wrong direction. The accused in one car managed to escape, while those in the other vehicle were killed by their own accomplices,” he said.

The DIG emphasised that protecting the lives and property of citizens was the primary responsibility of Islamabad police, and no elements would be allowed to harm the lives and properties of citizens.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2024