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       ISLAMABAD: A suspect, arrested by the capital police in connection with last week’s robberies of cash vans at four banks, was killed in a police encounter on Wednesday.

       The suspect, who had been taken into custody by the police’s investigation wing for interrogation, was on physical remand.

       According to police, three motorcycle riders attacked a police team near Golra Mor while officers were escorting the suspect for ‘recovery’. The attackers opened fire on police, who were wearing bulletproof jackets and remained unharmed.

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       However, the suspect in custody was seriously injured in the gunfire. He was rushed to a hospital for medical treatment but later succumbed to his injuries.

       Police teams are conducting raids to apprehend the attackers, who are believed to have tried to free the suspect from custody. Authorities claimed that the accomplices opened fire on police to facilitate the suspect’s escape.

       On Monday, the capital police held a news conference where they announced the arrest of the suspect, who they claimed was responsible for five cash van robberies at various locations across the city.

       The police said they recovered the looted cash, weapons and the motorcycle used in the robberies from the suspect. They also revealed that the suspect, a native of Sargodha, had been living in Islamabad for the past four to five years and worked as an electrician.

       The death of the suspect in the encounter has brought the total number of police encounters in Islamabad this year to 36. In these incidents, 13 suspects have been killed and 21 others injured.

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       According to police, seven of these encounters occurred during raids to apprehend suspects, while 23 involved direct confrontations between the police and the suspects.

       In five incidents, suspects allegedly attempted to free their accomplices from police custody, including the incident on Wednesday. Police have claimed that in nearly all of these encounters, the suspects have resisted arrest and opened fire, with police officers remaining unharmed. However, in several cases, the suspects have been either killed or injured by gunfire, sometimes from their own accomplices.

       Interestingly, almost all FIRs related to these encounters have similar content, stating that during routine police patrols or at pickets, officers signalled suspects to stop, but instead of complying, the suspects opened fire. In some cases, police took suspects to locations for ‘recovery’, only for accomplices to ambush the officers, resulting in the suspect’s death or injury.

       IGP Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi did not respond to requests for comment on the incident.

       Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2024