Unidentified armed men shot and killed a woman and her daughter for resisting robbery on Tuesday.
Jaranwala City police said the woman and her daughter were travelling on a rickshaw near village 21-GB. Some armed men tried to intercept the rickshaw, but the driver accelerated the vehicle.
The men shot at the rickshaw and two passengers, Parveen Bibi and her daughter Mehwish Akhtar, residents of village 128-GB, received serious bullet injuries. They died on their way to a hospital.
City Police Officer Dr Haidar Ashraf directed police to arrest the robbers within a week.
Saleem Rasheed, a resident of village 21-GB, said robberies even during the day had become a routine in the area. “We have complained to the police several times and requested them to take action against the outlaws in the area but nothing has been done,” Rasheed said. He said many villagers in fact believed that some policemen patronised criminals.
Highway hold ups and street crime were a daily occurrence and travellers were held up the most, he said. The police had not arrested anyone in connection with these crimes, he said.
Jaranwala City Station House Officer Nadeem Jatt said a case had been registered against unidentified robbers under Sections 302 and 392 of the Pakistan Penal Code (murder and robbery). He said they would be arrested soon.
The city police officer directed Jaranwala Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP) Muhammad Akhtar Wyne to ensure the arrest of the robbers within a week.
The CPO also directed Criminal Intelligence Agency Superintendent Farooq Hundal to monitor progress on the investigation and present a report to him regarding the police efforts in nabbing the outlaws.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 2nd, 2014.