Islamabad  -  The Tarnol police in Islamabad have held 3 suspects in connection with firing on the car of a civil judge at the Motorway near Chakri interchange on late Friday.

Civil judge (judicial magistrate) Suleman Badar had narrowly escaped the attack while travelling with his family from Lahore to Islamabad. He is posted in Islamabad.

Badar along with his family was heading towards Islamabad when another car carrying 3 persons passed his car and opened fire on it. The car riders opened straight fire on the judge’s car but they survived, according to the civil judge. The sources said that the judge had been dealing with the criminal cases.

According to the sources in the local police, the Tarnol police have held 3 suspects in this regard. The police had intercepted a suspected car near Peshawar Morr and took hold of the three, according to the police sources. They have been identified as Javed Iqbal, Aqeel and Abdul Salam. All of them were first shifted to the Tarnol police station and later were handed over to Chakri police for further investigation.

Motorway police had immediately come into action after the judge informed them about the incident. He had also informed the police about the registration plate number of the attackers’ car but they were unable to trace that vehicle. The magistrate also could not identify the attackers — 3 in number— two occupying the front seats while their accomplice was on back seat of the car. Later, personnel of the Rawalpindi police had reached the crime scene and launched an investigation.

In addition, our correspondent from Rawalpindi reported that the police had registered a case against unknown men for opening firing on the vehicle of the judge on Saturday.

A senior police officer, however, declared the incident of firing on judge’s car as dubious and suspicious.

However, DSP Saddar Farhan Aslam visited the PS Tarnol and recorded the statements of the 3 suspects held in connection with the incident.

SP Saddar Circle Ashan Saifullah, when contacted for his comments, said that no firing incident had taken place on motorway. He said that the judge assumed that his vehicle might have come under gunfire after another car dodged him on motorway. He said that the three detainees held by Islamabad police were not the attackers but employees of Bank of Punjab.

However, police are taking the claims of the judge very serious and investigators have also obtained for call data record of the three suspects to ascertain their locations, he said.

Meanwhile, Abiyeva Solmaz, daughter of Anvar, a lady from Azerbaijan, who was arrested from a check post near Marriott hotel here on November 12 by Islamabad police for carrying narcotics, has also turned out to be a human smuggler with Interpol having issued her Red Notice on request of Interpol Baku on charge of trafficking human beings. According to sources in the FIA, Abiyeva lived in G-14/4 and the Interpol had requested Pakistani authorities for her search and arrest in connection with her illegal activities in February 2018. She was intercepted by a police team at the check post and found in possession of 1,050 grams of heroin. She, however, identified as Hafifa, daughter of Mithan, and resident of Turkey. It emerged during the interrogation that she is Abiyeva Solmaz and wanted to the Interpol for human smuggling, according to the local police. She was also illegally staying in Pakistan since long.