Three killed in Quetta police retaliatory fire

QUETTA: Three suspected armed men have been killed and a policeman injured during a heavy exchange of fire with police in the Brewery area of the provincial capital.

Officials said that Brewery area police were conducting snap checking in the Western Bypass area during which they signaled a suspected car to stop, but the people sitting in the car, instead of stopping, opened fire on police and escaped from the site.

However, the police immediately retaliated and chased the car and in the Killi Khali area, a locality on the outskirts of the Quetta city, spotted the car where a heavy gunbattle occurred between police and suspected armed men that continued for some time. As a result of heavy firing, three armed men sitting in the car were killed and a police constable injured.

“The suspected armed men have been killed in exchange of fire,” Deputy Superintendent of Sadder Police Shoukat Jadoon confirmed and added that the injured police constable was shifted to hospital.

The bodies of all the three suspects were shifted to the Bolan Medical College for completing medico-legal formalities. Initial investigation showed that the armed men were criminal and involved in heinous crimes, including robberies and kidnapping for ransom. “They were present in the area with the intention of committing a robbery and any other crime,” a senior police officer said, adding that arms and ammunition were also recovered from the possession of the robbers. Police were investigating the incident and soon other members of the gang would be arrested.