Rawalpindi - A 32-year-old man was shot dead while his aunt was injured critically while resisting street criminals in the limits of Police Station New Town, sources informed The Nation yesterday.

The Rescue 1122 shifted the dead body and the injured lady to Holy Family Hospital (HFH), sources said. The deceased was identified as Sardar Naeem, the nephew of a senior journalist Sardar Wajid Hameed.

According to sources, Naeem along with his aunt arrived at Commercial Market for shopping when unidentified dacoits intercepted them near NADRA office. The dacoits held them hostage at gunpoint and tried to snatch purse from the lady, they said. In the meantime, dacoits opened fire as Naeem resisted the dacoity bid. The dacoits managed to escape the scene, sources added. Passerby called Rescue 1122 which moved the injured to HFH where Naeem died, they said.

A heavy contingent of police rushed to the crime scene and collected evidences.

The doctors handed over the dead body to heirs after conducting post-mortem while the lady is being cured in the hospital.

The journalist community and the area people protested against police failure in controlling surging street crime in PS New Town areas and demanded City Police Officer Israr Ahmed Khan Abbasi and Regional Police Officer Wisal Fakhar Sultan Raja to suspend Station House Officer (SHO) Chaudhry Shahid for his failure in overwhelming street gangs.

Separately, RPO Wisal Fakhar demoted former SHO PS New Town Sub-Inspector Altaf Gohar to the rank of assistant sub-inspector on account of not tracing two bank robberies and controlling street crimes. Similarly, the RPO awarded departmental punishment to SHO PS Gujar Khan for not marking proper security arrangement at Ramazan Sasta Bazaar in Gujar Khan.

Separately, the RPO directed the police to register cases against those who put resistance to the authorities concerned during anti-encroachment campaign in the city. He issued these directions at a meeting held in his office.