Excise men injured while chasing smugglers

PESHAWAR: Eight officials of the Excise Police were injured Thursday when two vehicles met an accident on the Motorway near Mardan after coming under fire by drug smugglers.

One of the injured was in critical condition while seven others sustained minor injuries after their cars met with an accident.

An official of the Excise Department said the cops had been tipped off about the smuggling of narcotics from Balochistan to Swat. He added teams of the Excise Police were deployed to intercept the smugglers near the Ismaila Interchange.

“When the police signaled the vehicle, the driver accelerated the speed. Two teams of the Excise Police in separate vehicles started chasing the smugglers, but their accomplices in two escort cars opened indiscriminate fire on the cops,” the spokesman for the Excise Police Azlan Aslam told.

He added both the speedy vehicles of the Excise Police met an accident due to the firing, leaving at least eight cops injured. He confirmed that one of the constables was in critical condition.

Officials said a search operation has been launched to arrest the culprits after receiving re-enforcement. A case was registered against the unidentified attackers.