MARDAN/CHARSADDA, July 9: Two constables and a prisoner were killed, when gunmen attacked a police van near Sheikh Maltoon Town in Mardan on Wednesday, officials said.

One of the alleged attackers was killed in a police encounter, which took place near Sardaryab area in Charsadda district, while they were fleeing from Mardan, police officials said.

The assailants, believed to be associates of the accused, Arshad, opened fire at the police party in a bid to get him released, when the police were taking him from Nowshera to a court in Mardan. Arshad was arrested in a number of cases, including kidnapping for ransom.

Officials said that the gunmen opened fire on the van near the Sheikh Maltoon Town, killing head constable Abdul Qadir Khan, constable Qamar and the accused Arshad on the spot. The attackers escaped.

The Mardan police immediately alerted the Nowshera, Charsadda and Peshawar police, and also set up check points on the Motorway to nab the culprits.

Later, the Charsadda police spotted the suspected car bearing registration No. MNR-654 near Sardaryab area and signaled the driver to stop, but the inmates opened fire on the police.

In the retaliatory fire, one of the men travelling in the car was wounded, while the others escaped leaving the car behind.

The police arrested the injured man, Hazrat Ahmad son of Hazrat Ali, resident of Malakand Agency. He was taken to the Charsadda hospital, where doctors referred him to Peshawar, but he died on the way to the Lady Reading Hospital. The police impounded the car.

Charsadda DPO Feroz Shah told journalists that the accused travelling in the car opened fire on the police near Sardaryab when they were fleeing. He said that the police had initiated a search operation to arrest the other culprits. Mardan DPO Tahir Khan was also present on the occasion.

Opinion

Editorial

Islamabad march
Updated 27 Nov, 2024

Islamabad march

WITH emotions running high, chaos closes in. As these words were being written, rumours and speculation were all...
Policing the internet
27 Nov, 2024

Policing the internet

IT is chilling to witness how Pakistan — a nation that embraced the freedoms of modern democracy, and the tech ...
Correcting sports priorities
27 Nov, 2024

Correcting sports priorities

IT has been a lingering battle that has cast a shadow over sports in Pakistan: who are the national sports...
Kurram ceasefire
Updated 26 Nov, 2024

Kurram ceasefire

DESPITE efforts by the KP government to bring about a ceasefire in Kurram tribal district, the bloodletting has...
Hollow victory
26 Nov, 2024

Hollow victory

THE conclusion of COP29 in Baku has left developing nations — struggling with the mounting costs of climate...
Infrastructure schemes
26 Nov, 2024

Infrastructure schemes

THE government’s decision to finance priority PSDP schemes on a three-year rolling basis is a significant step...