BAHAWALPUR: Six under-trial prisoners fled after injuring three policemen and killing a fellow prisoner in the Qureshiwala area of Lodhran district on Saturday.

       Lodhran DPO’s spokesman Imran Umar told Dawn police were escorting eight prisoners to the New Central jail, Bahawalpur, after their appearance in Jalapur Peerwala tehsil courts. The eighth prisoner remained safe and was in police custody.

       He said the fleeing prisoners snatched official weapons from the escorts and allegedly opened fire, which killed fellow prisoner Bashir Ahmed and left SI Rafique Ahmed and constables Muhammad Ahsan and Imran injured. They were rushed to the Gogran THQ hospital.

       The spokesman identified the fleeing prisoners as Allah Ditta, Abdul Hamid, Saeed Ahmed, Karim Baksh and Siddique Ahmed who snatched a couple of motorcycles from commuters and managed to flee.

       South Punjab New Additional Inspector-general of Police (AIG) Dr Ehsan Sadiq, who assumed the charge of his new assignment in Multan on Saturday, took notice of the incident and ordered Multan RPO Riaz Akbar and Lodhran DPO Abdul Raoof Babar to arrest the fleeing accused at the earliest.

       Police spokesman Imran Umar said roads in the entire district had been picketed.

       Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has also ordered the arrest of the accused.

       Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2022