A man suspected of robbery and other crimes was killed in a shootout at a picket in Kahna, police said on Saturday.
Two men on a motorcycle were stopped at the picket, police said. They tried to flee and fired at the police. When the police returned fire, one of them was killed on the spot, while the other abandoned the bike on the road and fled. The man killed in the encounter was later identified as Shahbaz Masih, a robber. His body was taken to Jinnah Hospital for an autopsy. Police said Shahbaz Masih was a hardened criminal and many cases had been previously registered against him. He was a resident of Langar village. Police contacted Shahbaz Masih’s family and have been looking for the man who fled.
Police said Shahbaz Masih and his accomplice had tried to rob a taxi driver Arshad earlier in the day. When the driver resisted, Shahbaz shot him in the belly and fled. Arshad was taken to a hospital where he later died.
None of the policemen at the picket were injured.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2013.