A man the police said was wanted for robbery was killed in a shootout on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Abbas Jhambeel. Uch Sharif Station House Officer Chaudhry Shafqat Ata told The Express Tribune that he and his team, including Sub Inspector Muhammad Iqbal and ASI Muhammad Manzoor, were on a patrol duty when they were informed about seven men who were fleeing after depriving a citizen of his car and valuables.
He said they visited the scene and surrounded the area. When they ordered the robbers to surrender, they instead shot at the police.
The police shot back, killing one of them on the spot. He was later indentified as Jhambeel. The crossfire continued for over an hour, before the rest of the robbers fled with the looted valuables. The SHO said that Jhambeel and his accomplices placed hurdles on roads to stop cars that they would later deprive the drivers of. The SHO said the police found a gun on the body. The body was sent to Bahawal Victoria Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Police said they were looking for those who had fled.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2013.