GUJRAT: A murder accused who returned from Saudi Arabia after three years in hiding was shot dead in Gujrat police custody allegedly by his rivals on Friday.

The killing took place near Kulachor village along the Shahbazpur Road in the precincts of Sadar Jalalpur Jattan police.

Police said Zameer Hussain Khokhar of Mekan village had been declared a fugitive in a murder case of Daulat Nagar police station back in 2021 after he fle d abroad.

He was captured by the Immigration authorities at the Karachi airport on his return from Saudi Arabia and was was handed over to the Gujrat police.

On Friday, a fourmember police team led by ASI Ibrar Ahmed of Daulat Nagar police station was bringing him back to the police station.

As soon as the police party reached near Shahbazpur, some armed men riding on two different black cars stopped the police party.Police claimed the armed men snatched Zameer from its custody and shot him dead before fleeing. It is learnt that the assailants also took away a police gun from the scene.

Gujrat District Police Officer Dr Mustanser Atta Bajwa, SP investigation Riaz Ahmed Naz and other officials also reached the spot and inspected the crime scene.

Police shifted the body to Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital ABSTH where doctors were yet to conduct an autopsy.

A team of Punjab Forensic Science Agency PFSA also reached the spot to collect the evidence.

The DPO told Dawn all the police cops who were part of the team had been suspended and taken into custody.

Moreover, he said criminal proceedings would also be initiated against these officials after an inquiry.

He said four other members of Zameer `s family had also been proclaimed offenders in the same murder case of Daulat Nagar police.

A spokesman for Gujrat police said the DPO had constituted teams to trace and arrest the suspects involved in the killing.