Families cry foul after two suspects killed in 'police encounter' in Faisalabad

FAISALABAD: The relatives of two suspects killed Saturday night while in police custody claim the deceased were 'eliminated' in a fake encounter.

The relatives have blocked a main road of the city, leading to a suspension of traffic, and are demanding justice and the handing over of the deceased's bodies.

On Saturday, two Dolphin Force constables were shot injured in Faisalabad’s Gulistan Colony after they attempted to stop four people riding two motorcycles. 

Police officials said the suspects did not stop when they were signalled to by the Dolphin Force officials and instead opened fire. Police managed to arrest two of the accused — Shehroz and Mohsin Ali  — from the site while the remaining two managed to flee. 

Later, after a case was registered at the Sargodha Road Police Station, police officials claim they were transporting the two suspects on a recovery operation when the suspects' accomplices attack the police convoy in an attempt to flee their partners. 

The incident resulted in an exchange of fire in which the under custody suspects were killed from firing by their own colleagues, police officials claimed. 

The families of the deceased suspects claim the police killed their loved ones in a fake encounter. They say no criminal cases were registered against the deceased. 

Police encounters, such as the one which occurred Saturday night, are a common occurrence in Pakistan and raise doubts about the veracity of the police's claims.