Alleged snatcher killed in ‘encounter’

PESHAWAR: An alleged snatcher was killed during an encounter with police in Mathra, officials said.

A police official said police exchanged fire with two alleged snatchers in Mathra late Friday night. The official said a police constable survived as he was hit at his bullet proof jacket during the encounter. He added the police car was also hit by a couple of bullets.

After the encounter police recovered the body of an alleged snatcher Asad while his accomplices escaped, said the officials. They said the snatched phones and a pistol were recovered from the deceased.

Meanwhile, the relatives and villagers staged a protest outside the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly by placing the body of deceased Asad on the road. The protesters said that Asad, a resident of Maskinabad area of Charsadda, was illegally detained at the Mathra Police Station and his body was found on the roadside near the Northern Bypass. According to the victim’s family, the deceased was handed over to the police on the request of a local nazim and the station house officer (SHO) had demanded a ransom of seven lakh rupees. When the family failed to pay the amount, Asad was allegedly tortured to death, they claimed.

In another incident, police officials said a notorious car lifter Zulfiqar was arrested in wounded condition after an encounter with the police in Chamkani. The official said the accused was involved in at least 16 cases of car-lifting and snatching.