A suspect allegedly involved in the abduction and murder of a 19-year-old shepherd was killed in an alleged encounter with the Crime Control Department (CCD) in Sahiwal, police said on Monday.According to police, the deceased suspect, Zulqarnain, was the prime accused in the case of 19-year-old Muhammad Imran, who was kidnapped and killed about a month ago. According to police, Muhammad Imran was grazing his eight buffaloes in the fields on June 1 when he was abducted by robbers.

The suspects murdered him before fleeing with the livestock.Police arrested Zulqarnain and handed him over to CCD for investigation. CCD officials said Zulqarnain had been taken into custody and was being escorted to recover the murder weapon, a knife, when he allegedly escaped from police custody despite being handcuffed.However, police said that late Sunday night, the CCD team signalled three motorcyclists to stop near Noor Kay Kathia.

Instead of stopping, the suspects allegedly opened fire on the police party, triggering an exchange of gunfire that lasted between eight to ten minutes. Sargodha child murder case: Suspect Arslan killed in CCD encounterAfter the firing, police found Zulqarnain dead in nearby fields, while his two alleged accomplices managed to escape. A search operation has been launched to apprehend the fleeing suspects, while further investigations are underway.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)