Muqabla continues with terrorists of Punjab /DAWN..Hassan H. Naqvi

[Hassan Naqvi]

DAWN Karachi
10 September 1996
25 Rabius Saani 1417
> 960910
> Police-outlaws battle near Sialkot continues
> By Mohammad Yousuf and Sajid Iqbal
>
> SIALKOT, Sept 9: A stand-off between law enforcement agencies and
> proclaimed offenders who have taken shelter in a three-storey
> building on Saturday night continued late in the night on Monday in
> Khanpur Bilour, Qila Sobha Singh area, some 25 km from here.
>
> A grand police commando operation was launched on Monday noon
> against the outlaws. As a first step the upper storey was set on
> fire and teargas shells were also fired to scare them and make them
> surrender. It made the criminals shift from one room to another
> vacating a major portion of the multi-storey building.
>
> This encounter spreading over 48 hours, which has so far taken a
> toll of two police Sub-Inspectors, is considered to be the longest
> encounter between the outlaws and law enforcement agencies in recent
> days. During the commando operation on Monday, the body of
> sub-inspector Abdul Majeed was recovered. He was killed in the
> initial phase of the police operation but the POs kept his body in
> their custody for over 24 hours.
>
> On Monday the police also found the car used by the criminals at a
> deserted place. It was snatched by them from Manga Mandi near
> Lahore. The POs, police believe, have gone to the ground floor of
> the building where they have been protected by the strong walls.
>
> The encounter started when the criminals chased by Qila Sobha Singh
> police took shelter in a building after abandoning the car at a
> deserted place. According to official sources, the surrender of the
> POs is expected any time at night because the entire police of the
> area are in action, surrounding the building and cordoning off the
> village Khanpur.
>
> Lahore Office Adds: Punjab Police Inspector-General Zulfiqar Qureshi
> has sent Deputy Inspector-General Saleem Wahidi to lead the police
> operation. A deputy commandant of the Punjab Constabulary and head
> of PC's commandos squad has also gone to Khanpur Bilour.
>
> DIG Saleem Wahidi had successfully led the police operation to
> recover the industrialist Shahid Sethi from a Johar Town residential
> building earlier in the year. He was also the leader of police
> investigation team which recovered neuro-surgeon Prof Dr Bashir
> Chaudhry from Defence area in a late night operation on Wednesday.
>
> An official of Qila Sobha Singh police told Dawn late on Monday
> night that the three-storey building being used by the criminals as
> their hideout consisted of 74 rooms. The police commandos have so
> far succeeded in taking over the major portion of the building. "The
> outlaws have been left with only four rooms on the ground floor of
> the building," the official claimed.
>
> The police suspect that those hiding in the multi-storey building
> might be from the gang of Malangi and Shana. The two brothers have
> been at large for the last 10 years. They belong to village
> Mananwala and are wanted by police in at least eight murder cases.
> They are also accused of selling drugs. All the murders committed by
> the duo are reported to have been linked with their activities of
> collecting 'goonda tax' at the general bus stands of Narowal
> district.
>
> An high official in the Punjab police told Dawn that it was due to
> the criminal activities the gang of outlaws, specially that of
> Malangi gang, that made the elected representatives of Narowal
> demand special measures.
>
> The newly appointed SP Narowal Abdullah Khalid, who replaced Khadim
> Bhatti was specially assigned the task to curb the activities of the
> gang of proclaimed offenders.
--------------------------------------------------
--
Hassan Haider Naqvi