rki.news
Altaf Hamid Rao
MIRPUR (AJK), Sept. 20: Zeeshan Farooq, the prime suspect in the killing of his three minor children, was killed after sustaining critical injuries during firing by his alleged accomplices while police were taking him for investigation in adjoining Jhelum district, police said.
According to police, Mangla Cantt police were taking Farooq for investigation in FIR No. 307/26 registered under Sections 363, 302 and 201 of the Pakistan Penal Code when unidentified armed men opened fire on the police party near a private housing scheme along GT Road.
Police said the attackers allegedly attempted to facilitate Farooq’s escape from custody. During the exchange of fire, one bullet struck a police constable’s bulletproof jacket while another hit the police vehicle.
Farooq sustained serious injuries in the firing and was shifted to Rural Health Centre (RHC) Dina for medical treatment. He later succumbed to his injuries.
Additional police contingents reached the scene following the incident. Police teams were constituted to trace and arrest the assailants, while a search operation was launched in the area.
Police said Farooq, a resident of Qazi Chak area of Jhelum, had allegedly thrown his three minor children from Lahri Bridge into the Upper Jhelum Canal following a domestic dispute several days earlier.
The children were identified as eight-year-old Fajar Zeeshan, five-year-old Umar Zeeshan and three-year-old Noor Fatima.
According to police and rescue officials, the bodies of Fajar Zeeshan and Noor Fatima have been recovered, while the search for Umar Zeeshan is continuing.
Police said Farooq had surrendered after the incident and disclosed that he had thrown the children into the waterway. A case was subsequently registered and an investigation launched.
DPO Jhelum Shafiq Ahmed Chaudhry said the rule of law would be ensured and those involved in the attack on the police party would be brought to justice.
