VEHARI, May 17: The autopsy report of Riaz Basra and his three accomplices who were killed in an ‘encounter’ with police on May 14, revealed that they were fired upon from a distance of five to 10 feet.

There were six to seven bullets in every body, it said. Some bullets were fired on the bodies, it added.

ARRESTS: Police, in the meanwhile, arrested some people on suspicion of having links with Riaz Basra.

Sources in police department said here on Friday some people visited the DHQ Hospital on May 15 to see the bodies. Secret agencies’ personnel kept an eye on their activities and arrested them. They have been taken to some secret place, they added.

However, the Vehari SP denied that anybody was arrested.

He said one of the men who were killed along with Basra, was identified as Liaquat Meo, a resident of Kehror Pucca. His family, however, refused to receive his body, he added.

Earlier, the family of Shakil alias Hamza, had also refused to receive his body. Shakil was a resident of Sheikhupura.

Sources said the fourth accomplice of Basra was identified as Qari Shahab of Multan. He was wanted in several terrorist cases.

But, police did not confirm his identity.

VISIT TO DOKOTA: When this correspondent visited Dokota and Kot Malik village on Friday, people looked terrified. They seemed reluctant to talk to newsmen.

However, some of them confided to this scribe that the police encounter was fake. They wondered that in an half-an-hour encounter, no policeman sustained injury.

They said there was no bullet mark on the police vehicle.

They claimed that there was heavy police movement before the encounter on Tuesday night.

One of them claimed that he saw the bodies of two of the terrorists. There was no bullet hole on their clothes. However, their dresses were soaked in blood. He suspected that they might have been killed elsewhere and their bodies transported to Kot Malik.

They suspected that the Ghalvi family was involved in the police plan to kill Riaz Basra. They belied Ghalvis claim that they informed the police which reached the spot in just five minutes from various police stations of the district.

They said it took an hour to reach Dokota from Vehari, and 30 minutes from Mailsi.

Opinion

Editorial

Rigging claims
Updated 04 May, 2024

Rigging claims

The PTI’s allegations are not new; most elections in Pakistan have been controversial, and it is almost a given that results will be challenged by the losing side.
Gaza’s wasteland
04 May, 2024

Gaza’s wasteland

SINCE the start of hostilities on Oct 7, Israel has put in ceaseless efforts to depopulate Gaza, and make the Strip...
Housing scams
04 May, 2024

Housing scams

THE story of illegal housing schemes in Punjab is the story of greed, corruption and plunder. Major players in these...
Under siege
Updated 03 May, 2024

Under siege

Whether through direct censorship, withholding advertising, harassment or violence, the press in Pakistan navigates a hazardous terrain.
Meddlesome ways
03 May, 2024

Meddlesome ways

AFTER this week’s proceedings in the so-called ‘meddling case’, it appears that the majority of judges...
Mass transit mess
03 May, 2024

Mass transit mess

THAT Karachi — one of the world’s largest megacities — does not have a mass transit system worth the name is ...