LAHORE - Three people were killed and another person wounded in a brazen gun attack in Tibbi City police precincts early Saturday, police said. The attackers fled instantly.
The deadly shooting, involving at least seven attackers, took place near the parking stands of Minar-e-Pakistan in the morning. Eyewitness said the victims tried to flee but they were chased and shot dead by armed motorcyclists.
The gunfire triggered panic in the locality as two passersby also came under the attack during rush hours.
Three men including a passerby died on the spot. A 24-year-old vendor was also hit by a bullet in his leg. The vegetable seller, Amir, was admitted to the Mayo hospital. The attackers managed to escape from the crime scene easily.
Rana Ayyub and his brothers Muhammad Yasin and Rana Shakoor riding on motorcycles were going to appear before a court in connection with a criminal case when they came under attack.
The deceased passerby was named as Hafiz Ashiq Mahmood. Hafiz was going to teach children at a religious school in Iqbal Town. He was a resident of Azad Kashmir and presently, he was living at a rented house in Badami Bagh area, police said.
It seemed that the attackers were waiting for the victims by parking their motorcycles near the Lady Wallington Hospital, a police source said. The gunmen started firing as the victims reached close to them.
Both the brothers, Shakoor and Ayyub, tried to flee the firing but they were overpowered by attackers near the parking lot at Minar-e-Pakistan ground. The gunmen pumped several bullets into their bodies before fleeing the crime scene.
Police investigators said that both the parties had recently developed a dispute over the ownership of a house. Also, they had litigation as they were appearing before the local courts in connection with different cases registered against each other.
According to police, Malik Nadeem along with Malik Adeel, Malik Naeem and four other accomplices carried out the deadly gun attack.
A police investigator last night said that they were conducting raids to arrest the killers. However, no arrest was made till late Saturday night. The police however, filed the triple-murder case against Malik Naeem and his accomplices and were investigating.