KARACHl: Unidentified assailants shot dead a police officer in an encounter in Lines Area late on Sunday night, police said on Monday.

However, the police said that the incident was being probed from different angles.

In its initial statement, the Brigade police stated: `An encounter took place at a Katchi Abadi in Lines Area in which Assistant Sub-Inspector Iqbal Ali, who was posted at the investigation branch of the Brigade police station, was martyred by the firing of unknown accused.

Brigade SHO Khalid Rafiq remained unhurt in the attack. The ASI suffered multiple bullet wounds and died on the spot.

The body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for a postmortem examination.

SSP-East Zubair Nazeer Sheikh said that investigators were probing the incident.

However, DIG-East Muqaddus Haider told Dawn that the police received a call about a quarrel between some children near an area imambargah. The SHO along with another officer rushed to the spot on a motorcycle. Both officers were in uniform when they came in front of the armed assailants who were also riding a motorbike, he added.

He said it appeared that the assailants started firing as soon as they saw the police.

In the meantime, ASI Iqbal, who was in civvies, also reached the scene and challenged the assailants who fired at him and he also returned fire.

The DIG believed that the assailants also got injured in retaliatory firing by the police.

However, they managed to escape from the crime scene in a wounded condition, leaving behind their motorbike, which was seized by the police. He said that record showed that it was a snatched motorbike.

He said it appeared that the assailants were actually muggers and roaming in the area to spot their prey. However, investigations were underway, he added.