BAHAWALPUR: Saddar police claimed that four alleged rapists/killers of an 11-yearold class-III girl student of Baqirpur locality were killed in firing by their seven accomplices during an `encounter.
The deceased rapists included victim Fiza Bibi`s two maternal uncles and their two cousins.
According to PRO Rao Kashif, a Saddar police party, after recovery of murder weapon from their identified place, were escorting the suspects. When they reached near northern bypass flyover, seven accomplices fired on the team in a bid to get the suspects freed from police custody.
During exchange of firing between thepolice party and their accomplices, the handcuffed suspects pushed their escorts and after freeing themselves from policemen joined their accomplices in their firing. The PRO claimed that there had been intense firing between police party and accomplices joined by the deceased rapists.
When firing stopped, Anas, Umar, Mahmood alias Modi and Kamran were found killed by the firing of their own accomplices who managed their escape underthe cover ofdarkness.
Police registered a case against them and a search operation was continuing in the area to arrest them.Police, after postmortem examination handed bodies over to their respective families.
Meanwhile, a large number of residents of Baqirpur opposed their burial in the localgraveyard.
However, later with the intervention of some of the elders, the issue was resolved and they were laid to rest after funeral in the graveyard.
It merits mentioning that the suspects had raped and killed the girl in sunflower fields after Iftar on March 24 and the police claimed to have arrested the four rapists 72 hours after the incident.
