Daily Times

Two policemen were martyred and one sustained injuries when a gang of criminals opened fire at them in the limits of Areeja Phero police station Tuesday.

Thereafter police retaliated and killed two of them in an encounter and captured a third.

According to details, a special police team was on its routine patrolling duty when they spotted three armed criminals on a bike each having KK rifles near Zakria Mahesar police picket on bypass. They were asked to stop by the police team but the gangsters started straight firing in which two constables including police mobile driver Barkat Ali Chachar and Khalid Kango were martyred and their team incharge Abdul Wahid Chandio was injured.

The area people took them to the Emergency Department of the Chandka Medical College Hospital for treatment & further management where the doctors confirmed the death of two police constables.

In the meantime, higher police authorities were informed which sent reinforcement to nab the accused and in an encounter the accused- two unidentified criminals were killed on the spot and their third accomplice was captured. He has been shifted to an unidentified place.

SSP Imran Qureshi reached the spot and inquired about the details. Later, he told newsmen that after receiving the complaints of surge in the criminal activities in the area, special police team reached the area where they spotted the gang and asked them to stop but they started firing in which two constables were martyred and third has been injured whereas police in retaliation have gunned down two criminals and third has been arrested in injured condition.

The arrested gangster has been kept at an unidentified place. Neither any case was registered till filing of this report nor the killed criminals were identified

Meanwhile, in another incident, two persons were gunned down in Ratodero by four unidentified armed persons riding two bikes near Mehar Ghanghro turn. They were identified as Azharuddin son of Shamsuddin Kumbhar and Abdul Jabbar son of Hafiz Sikander Kumbhar. Ratodero police shifted the bodies to Taluka Headquarter Hospital for fulfillment of legal formalities. Jabbar was a resident of Naundero and Azhar was residing at Panjudero village.

Police claimed that both have been killed over an issue of Pirh Jeho kidnapping in December 2020 from Mubarak Jeho village located within the limits of Naundero police station but police failed to recover her. Her heirs suspected Azhar, a Chingchi driver taking her to school as she was a teacher, was involved in the incident and a case was registered against him.

Aijaz, brother of deceased Azhar, alleged that his brother and a relative have been murdered over the Pirah Jeho kidnapping allegation in which his brother was not involved. He said his brother had gone to attend the court hearing in the same case in Ratodero and they were targeted on their way back. Police conducted raids over the houses of the accused but they had already left their homes hence neither any arrest was made nor any case was registered till filing of this report.