Two people, including a security guard, were killed on Saturday when robbers opened fire after the guard, deployed at the residence the armed men tried to enter, fired warning shots.
Two passersby were also seriously injured in the incident in Mohallah Khalidabad Dijkot Road – an area that falls into the jurisdiction of Jhang Bazaar police. Both the injured men are under treatment at the Divisional Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital.
Police officials identified the security guard as Akhtar Khan, 35. They have yet to identify the second man killed in the firing. The police say that the unidentified deceased was one of the bandits. A witness, however, said the man was a passer-by who was caught up in the firing. The two men, police said, died on the spot. Those injured were identified Saif Khan, 22, and Babar Khan, 24, both residents of Chak 66-JB Dandhraand.
A witness, Ghulam Dastagir, told reporters that he had counted seven men trying to enter the house. “The security guard fired shots into the air to warn the bandits,” he said. The men, fired at the guard, injuring him. After Khan was hit, he fired some more shots into the air. It was unclear whether or not the trigger was pressed accidentally the second time. The bandits continued firing, killing Khan and the unidentified passer-by and injuring Saif and Babar.
Dastagir said some of the residents called the police who reached the scene after the bandits had fled and took the bodies into custody.
Jhang Bazaar SHO said that the second victim was one of the dacoits who had most likely been hit by one of the bullets fired by the guard.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 19th, 2014.