ISLAMABAD: Two under-custody suspects, said to be Afghan nationals who were arrested for snatching a woman’s mobile phone and attempting to rape her, were killed on Sunday by firing from their accomplices during an alleged police encounter in the capital, police said.
With these deaths, the number of suspects killed in the capital city during the current year in alleged encounters has risen to seven.
Police said that the suspects includes Abdullah and Malha Khan, who earlier arrested, succumbed to their injuries after their accomplices allegedly opened fire at the police team within the jurisdiction of the Shahzad Town Police Station
Police said that a team took the two under-custody suspects to a scrap yard near Rawal Town in the Shahzad Town area for the recovery of stolen items and the arrest of their accomplices, following disclosures made by the arrested men.
According to the police, four armed accomplices hiding in a nearby forested area opened indiscriminate fire at the police team in an attempt to free the two suspects, resulting in the detainees sustaining fatal bullet wounds from the gunfire allegedly opened by their own associates.
During the shooting, the police team remained safe due to their bulletproof jackets and other precautionary measures, authorities said. They added that immediately after the incident, the injured suspects were rushed to the hospital for treatment, where they succumbed to their injuries.
Police stated that both suspects had been arrested in connection with a case involving the alleged snatching of a mobile phone from a woman, an attempted rape, and her injury.
The case against the suspects had been registered at the Secretariat Police Station. The accomplices who opened fire at the police fled the scene under the cover of darkness.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026