SI among seven killed in shootout

SHEIKHUPURA, April 30: Seven people, including a sub-inspector (SI) and a passer-by woman, were killed and two constables were injured in a shootout with alleged outlaws in Thatha Qadir Shah village in Farooqabad Sadar police precincts on Saturday. Workers of Syed Zulfiqar Shah, a local landlord, were harvesting wheat crop when Shah`s 15 rivals equipped with automatic weapons stormed the fields and tried to stop the activity. Shah had already intimated the police about possible attack by his rivals and a police party headed by SI Malik Rehmat Ali also approached the scene. In the meantime, Shah`s rivals opened indiscriminate fire which was retaliated by the police and seven people, including SI Rehmat and a passer-by woman identified as Bushra, were killed in the ensuing shootout. Two constables also received bullets and were taken to a hospital. Four of the remaining five men killed in the incid ent were identified as Suleman, Yousaf, Nazeer and Gul Zaman while the fifth is yet to be recongnised. The affiliation of the victims with Shah or otherwise was unclear till the filing of this report. Panic gripped the area after the incident. Police contingents from nearby stations were called to maintain law and order while investigations were under way.