Five killed as 2 groups trade fire in Haripur

HARIPUR: Five persons were killed and three others sustained injuries when two rival groups traded fire in the limits of Sera-e-Saleh Police Station on Sunday.

The deceased included two real brothers, a father and his son and had been engaged in civil litigation for the last 15 years.

Police officials said that Abid Shah and Mazar Shah Shah of Changi Bandi village had been contesting the case over the right to ownership of a piece of 12 kanals of land that was the property of the maternal aunt of Abid Shah group.

After a long court battle, a local court had decided the case in favour of Abid Shah group and the revenue authorities and police handed over the possession of the land to the decree holders about five days back.

According to police, when Abid Shah, his brother and other family members reached there for cultivating the agriculture land on Sunday morning, tMazhar Shah and his family members allegedly armed with axes, sticks and weapons attacked them. As a result, Abid Shah, his brother Abbas Shah, Zulqarnain Haider Shah and Syed Ashfaq Shah were killed on the spot.

During the clash, Mazhar Shah from the alleged attackers’ side, Kazim Shah, Nazak Shah and another person were injured. The police shifted the bodies and injured to Trauma Centre where Mazhar Shah was pronounced dead while three others were admitted with multiple injuries for treatment.

The Mazhar Shah group accused the Abid Shah group of attacking them. However, the police registered FIRs from both sides and arrested four of the 10 nominated accused.