RAWALPINDI: Police on Sunday claimed to have killed one of the suspects wanted in the murder of Racecourse Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Mian Imran Abbas in an encounter, and also arrested a brother of the suspect.

The FIR, which was registered in connection with the ‘encounter’, didn’t mention the killing of the main suspect. However, a press release issued by the police claimed that he had been killed during the encounter with the police.

The police spokesman said the suspected murderer of the SHO had been involved in defrauding rent-a-car business owners and was wanted by Kalar Syedan police.

He said the suspects, who were on motorcycles, opened fire on a police team. The police retaliated, killing one of them.

The spokesman said the suspects used to rent cars but didn’t return them to their owners.

SHO Abbas had recovered several vehicles and handed them over to their owners. He said the other accomplice of the main suspect would also be arrested.

However, the FIR of the encounter between the suspects and the police was registered with the Civil Lines police on the complaint of its SHO Civil Lines on the charges of attempt to murder, offering resistance to police and possessing illegal weapons. A search for the accomplice of the main suspect has been launched.

Civil Lines SHO Raja Ahsan Tanveer Kiani said he was standing at a halting point in Sher Zaman Colony along with his team when four people riding two motorcycles appeared from Tulsa Road towards Sher Zaman Colony at about 5:10am.

He said in the FIR that on seeing the police, the motorcycle riders stopped and pulled out their pistols and opened fire on the police team. The police fired gunshots in the air forcing the suspects to escape.

When guns fell silent, the police searched the area and found a suspect lying injured on the road and carrying a pistol in his hand.

He said during search, the police recovered a CNIC, Rs800 and 10 bullets from him. The injured was identified as Shahid Amjad, a resident of Dhamial. He was shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ). Another person who was hiding in the nearby bushes also appeared on the scene. He was identified as Muhammad Nasir.

Police claimed that the Nasir told the police that his brother Amjad was injured from the firing of their accomplice Zahid who escaped along with another person.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2021