Lahore: Two policemen killers killed in encounter

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Mustafabad Police investigation officer says two robbers killed in retaliatory fire
* Naimatullah was wanted for murder of brigadier, had fled police custody in 2007

LAHORE: Two alleged robbers, including an Afghan, wanted in a number of murder and robbery cases, were killed in an encounter with the Cantt CIA Police early on Tuesday morning.

The ‘robbers’ were identified as Afghan national Naimatullah and Kamran Butt, a resident of Karachi, Cantt CIA Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Muhammad Athar Farooq told Daily Times. Farooq said a Kalashnikov, a 30-bore pistol, a mobile phone and bullet rounds were seized by the police as evidence. He said a third ‘robber’ succeeded in fleeing the scene and could not be identified.

Encounter: Mustafabad Police Investigation Officer Muhammad Afzal said a Cantt CIA team led by Inspector Shamim was standing at a picket at Chobacha Bridge when they saw a white Corolla without number plates and signalled the driver to stop. Afzal said instead of slowing down, the accused started firing indiscriminately at the CIA personnel. He said the police opened fire in retaliation. Afzal said the police team seized two number plates from the trunk of the car. He said the bodies were sent to the morgue for autopsy. Afzal said a case under Sections 324, 354, 186, 13/20/65 had been registered against the accused.

Farooq told Daily Times Naimatullah used to come from Afghanistan to commit robberies in the city. He said in 2005, Naimatullah had murdered Brigadier ® Muhammad Saeed for resisting an attempted robbery. Farooq said on September 25, 2005, a first information report (FIR) number 705 was registered against Naimatullah under Sections 302 and 309 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) at the South Cantonment Police Station.

Fled: He said Naimatullah was arrested in that case and was sent to jail where he spent two years. He said in 2007, the Afghan succeeded in fleeing police custody after killing a constable who was taking him to appear before court at the Model Town Courts. He said on February 8, 2007, a case was registered against him at the Naseerabad Police Station under Sections 302, 324, 353 of the PPC and Sections 155 and 156 of the Police Order, 2002 but he had been on the run since then. Farooq said the Afghan was also wanted by the city police in many other robbery and murder cases.

The DSP said Kamran Butt had also fled from police custody after killing a constable. He said Butt was also wanted in various cases. Farooq said no case of terrorism had been traced to the accused so far, however, the mobile phone recovered from the robbers showed that all received and dialled calls were from and to Afghanistan.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg13_4