GUJRAT: Around 250 people, including women, were gunned down by relatives during 2013, while target killings and extortion cases were also witnessed in Gujrat district.

However in most murders, the motive was said to be old enmity.

Police could not arrest any culprits involved in target killings or other terrorist acts. The main accused involved in killing of a senior medical practitioner of Jalalpur Jattan, Dr Ataur Rehman, for refusing to pay extortion were yet to be arrested, however police had claimed to have arrested three culprits involved in the case.

According to official data from Gujrat police, 212 murder cases had been registered until Dec 31 from Jan 1, 2013. The biggest one was when seven people were killed in Jassoki village of Kunjah police precincts wherein four unidentified assailants allegedly from a banned outfit targeted a local religious figure, Fazeelat Shah alias Phul Shah, on Sept 6. Shah and his six fellows, including two relatives, had been gunned down in that attack and the accused were yet to be arrested.

A local Ahmadi trader had been attacked twice in Sara-i-Alamgir, but he survived both attempts. However, close circuit cameras installed in front of his shop recorded the second attempt and law enforcement agencies had reportedly traced the suspects. Sources said a premier intelligence agency had captured some suspects with the help of the footage, however, local police had not been given access to them yet. The suspects had been identified by those injured in the Jassoki incident for being behind both attacks.

In November, an army vehicle was attacked by alleged terrorists near Kot Mojdin of Kunjah police precincts. Driver of the vehicle was shot dead and two others, including a retired colonel, injured.

On Nov 21, a senior official of the University of Gujrat, Professor Shabeer Hussain Shah, and his driver were shot dead in a targeted attack near a road leading to the university.

In the last week of December, three people, including a sub-inspector of Rawalpindi police Chaudhry Asghar, his cousin and a passer-by had been shot dead in Lalamusa city over an old enmity.

Even Gujrat DPO Ali Nasir Rizvi remained under threat as he belonged to the Shia sect and had been chasing a terrorists network operating in the district for six months.

As many as 200 people were killed in road accidents during 2013 and the biggest one occurred on May 25 near Mungowal when a school van caught fire. Almost 17 schoolchildren and a teacher Samiya Noreen were burnt alive in the incident.

Extortion cases suddenly surfaced in August when a senior doctor was killed in Jalalpur Jattan, besides reports of some other such cases around the same time.

However, local police managed to arrest at least 38 people allegedly involved in 25 registered cases of extortion during the year.