ISLAMABAD: Two suspects were injured during an alleged encounter with the Islamabad police, while two of their accomplices managed to escape, police said on Thursday.

According to a police official, a nine-member police team in a private and an official vehicle set up a checking point at I-12, where two persons riding a motorcycle appeared at around 11:30pm.

On suspicion, the police team reportedly signalled them to stop. However, they allegedly attempted to escape. `The police team intercepted them, and the two riders, shortly after disembarking from the motorcycle, started firing directly at the police team,` the police claimed. As a result, the police officials engaged in a physical confrontation and succeeded in overpowering them, he said.

In the meantime, two more riders on a motorcycle appeared at the spot and started firing directly at the police with the intention of setting their two accomplices free from police custody. As a result of the firing, the two captives sustained bullet injuries to their legs from their accomplices` fire and fell to the ground.

During the firing, the police officials took cover behind the official vehicle. Due to the firing, many bullets hit the official vehicle. As a precautionary measure, the police also fired a couple of shots in the air, he added. Munawer Azeem