Data Darbar evacuated after firing

LAHORE Police arrested six terror suspects from a mosque adjacent to the shrine of Hazrat Data Ganj Buksh (RA) on Sunday evening and recovered sophisticated weapons from their possession. Earlier, Data Darbar got evacuated seconds after firing was heard in nearby street. The devotees were asked to leave the premises, who later staged a protest demonstration against the police. The suspects opened fire when law-enforcement agencies and police cordoned off the area after a disabled person informed the police about the presence of some suspects in the mosque associated with the shrine of Baba Mushtaq in the neighbourhood of Data Darbar. A senior police officer disclosed that a disabled man informed the police that five suspects were sitting in a street of Melaram Darbar Road. He was shouting and claimed that he seen some weapons in the mosque, he added. The accused opened fire on the police party, which created panic among the citizens and a stampede ensued after the firing. Reportedly, two people sustained minor injuries during the stampede. The police managed to apprehend the suspects in the successful operation. The law-enforcers after arresting the suspects took them to Lower Mall Police Station and within a short time the accused were shifted to an unidentified place for further investigation, a senior police official said. He also said another suspect was arrested from the premises of Data Darbar. The suspect was identified as Shahbaz. The officer said during preliminary investigations, Shahbaz gave useful information while the police had been investigating him on various aspects. Meanwhile, security agencies launched a search operation in nearby localities of Data Darbar.

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