LAKKI MARWAT - A policeman was killed while the in-charge of Tajori Police Station narrowly escaped in a firing attack by a group of hardened criminals late on Tuesday night.
A police official said that Station House Officer (SHO) Tajori Irfanullah along with a police constable came under attack as they patrolled in the locality after receiving information regarding presence of a group of wanted criminals led by its kingpin Muhammad Ali.
“The proclaimed offenders fired at the cops when they saw them coming towards their hideout”, he maintained, saying that as a result of the adverse firing, constable Momin Khan was killed on the spot while the SHO narrowly escaped the attack. He said that the attackers including Muhammad Ali, Sabir and Noor Aslam who escaped after the incident were identified by SHO in torch light. “They were wanted by police in murder, attempted murder, attacks on police and other cases of heinous nature”, he claimed.
Soon after the incident, a large contingent of police reached the area and arrested several suspects in search operation. Reinforcement from Bannu and commandos of Elite Force and Anti-Terror Squad accompanied by armoured personnel carrier vehicles also carried out operation in the area. The deceased cop was buried in his native village with official honour. RPO Bannu Ali Khattak, DPO Lakki Syed Khalid Hamdani and other police official attended his funeral prayers offered in police lines at the district headquarters complex, Tajazai.
Meanwhile, police claimed to have arrested scores of outlaws and suspects during search and strike operations in parts of the district during the last four days. An official said on Wednesday that four operations were conducted during the period on information about presence of wanted men in rural areas. “The cops checked houses and hotels in different localities in search of anti-social elements and miscreants”, maintained the official.
He added that snap checking was also carried out at fifteen different points to ensure arrest of the criminals. “The actions were successful as the law enforcers captured six hardened criminals and fourteen suspects”, claimed the official, adding that the policemen also seized two AK-47 assault rifles, four shotguns, fourteen pistols, 337 bullets and over three kilograms of hashish from possession of the anti-social elements and registered cases against them under relevant sections of the law in the concerned police stations.
Separately, a police contingent seized hashish during an action near Tajori on Wednesday. On information about the presence of a suspect, a patrolling party reached the canal area near Tajori town”, said the official, adding that noticing police the suspect threw a plastic bag and ran away. He said that the cops chased the fleeing man but failed to arrest him as he disappeared in the congested area. He said that police recovered more than a kilogram of hashish from the plastic bag thrown by the suspect and intensified efforts to arrest him.
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