DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A policeman performing polio duty was martyred in the Atal Sharif area in the limits of Kulachi police station here on Monday.

A police official said that a 30-year-old detective foot cons­table, Dilawar Khan of Hathala who was posted at the Kulachi police station, was shot dead by unidentified attackers on Kulachi Road in the Atal Sharif area during polio duty.

According to a police rep­ort, the attackers managed to escape from the scene after committing the crime.

After receiving information about the incident, district police officer retired Capt Najamul Hasnain Lia­qat and a heavy contingent of police rushed to the spot.

The body of the policeman was later shifted to a hospital in Kulachi for postmortem.

Funeral prayers for the martyred cop were offered at Dera Police Lines, which were attended by a large number of senior police officers and soldiers.

The body of the martyred cop was later taken to his native village of Hathala where he was laid to rest.

After the incident, pol­ice conducted a search operation in the area. An investigation team under the supervision of Dera DPO Najamul Hasnain Liaqat collected evi­­­dence from the spot. Dur­ing the search operation about five suspected persons were arrested and police are interrogating them.

The CTD police have registered a case against unidentified attackers under various provisions, including terrorism.

Two similar incidents were reported on Sunday in which a policeman returning from polio duty was martyred in an attack in an area on the outskirts of Peshawar and a cop was injured in South Wa­­ziristan tribal district when a police mobile guarding polio vaccinators hit a landmine.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2021