Faisalabad crime: Three Brothers Gunned Down in Police Lockup

By Saleem Mubarak

LAHORE: It’s hard for anyone to swallow that three brothers were gunned down inside a police lockup. Yet, this shocking incident occurred in the lockup of the Sadar Tandlianwala police station, located in a rural area of Faisalabad.

This tragic incident serves as a wake-up call that much needs to be done to improve police custody conditions in the country. 

The slain brothers were named in a murder case registered with the City Tandlianwala police station. They were detained in the Sadar Tandlianwala police lockup out of fear that they could be attacked by their rivals in the city police station lockup. 

Police claimed that the unidentified attackers managed to slip through the cracks by scaling the rear wall of the police station with the help of a ladder, and then opened indiscriminate fire on their rivals. 

Resultantly, three brothers identified as Bilal, Usman and Nasir breathed their last on the spot. Meanwhile their brother, Nasir sustained injuries and was rushed to the hospital.

Police registered a case under sections 302, 324, 353, 186, 427, 148, 149 of the PPC and section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 against five unidentified people on the complaint Shafiq Ahmed. 

The complainant, a police inspector, claimed that at night, he was present at the police station along with Muhammad Amin, head constable, and constable Muhammad Arsalan for record maintenance. He said constable Kaleem Shafique, armed with an SMG rifle, was on duty in the illuminated veranda of the police station. Suddenly, he said five armed people popped up outside the right side of the lockup and started raining bullets into the lockup.

He claimed that constable Kaleem tried to stop the attackers, who retaliated by returning fire at the constable. The constable also returned fire in self-defense, taking cover behind a pillar, he mentioned. However, the attackers managed to make a quick getaway from the spot. 

He said the inspection of the lockup was performed and it was found that four accused detained in connection with a case (1209/24) registered with the City Tandlianwala police station under sections 302,109,148,149 of PPC and Section 7 of the ATA, had been targeted. 

Three succumbed to their injuries on the spot while Asif suffered injuries and was shifted to Civil Hospital Tandlianwala. 

Security Lapse in High-Security Zone

It is pertinent to mention that the City Police Station is located next to the Saddar Tandlianwala Police Station building. The residential quarters for police personnel are also a stone’s throw away from these police stations. Just 100 meters away, the SP’s office is right around the corner. 

People scratched their heads over how, despite this being such a sensitive area, the suspects had the audacity to enter the police station, open fire in the lockup, kill their rivals, and make a clean getaway from the scene. 

On being informed of the incident, the Inspector General of Police Punjab, Dr. Usman Anwar, acted swiftly and formed a three-member inquiry committee. The committee hit the ground running by visiting the crime scene for investigation and is set to submit its report to the IGP. 

District police said that more than ten suspects have been taken into custody and justice will be dispensed. 

Family Demands Justice

Family members of the deceased staged a protest demonstration against the police’s failure and demanded strict action against the policemen who failed to protect the lives of the detained persons.

Talking to the media, they said that CCTV footage featuring the criminals who attacked the police station and killed three brothers showed that eight people, armed to the teeth, were leaving after making the scene. However, the police mentioned only five unnamed criminals in the FIR, which raised eyebrows. 

They questioned why the police were in such a rush to register the case without consulting the bereaved family. The incident clearly shows that, from top to bottom, police officials have failed to protect the detained brothers.

Rather than taking a stand against the officials, the police high-ups decided to form a committee, which suggests they are sweeping the issue under the rug to cover up their negligence.

RPO Suspends Eight Policemen Over Dereliction of Duty

The Regional Police Officer (RPO), Dr. Abid Khan, has given the boot to eight policemen, including two inspectors, on charges of dereliction of duty.  

Those shown the door by the RPO included Sub-inspector Parvaiz Khalid, SHO PS City Tandlianwala, Inspector Basharat Ali, former SHO City Tandlianwala, Inspector Imran Sarwar, PS City Tandlianwala, Sub-inspector Mubashar Hussain, SHO PS Sadar Tandlianwala, Head Constable Naeem Hassan Maqbool, Moharrar City Tandlianwala and Head Constable Noman Ali, Moharrar PS Sadar Tandlianwala.

The ball is now in the inquiry team’s court, and further action will be taken against other policemen once the investigation wraps up.