CCD constable shot dead by criminals in Gujranwala

GUJRAT: A constable of the Crime Control Department (CCD) was killed after alleged hardened criminals opened fire on him in the Jalalpur Jattan city police precincts on Thursday, according to police officials.

A senior Gujranwala CCD police official said constable Fiaz Shah had been deployed in the Jalalpur Jattan circle and had been assigned to collect intelligence about hardened criminals operating in the area. The official said another CCD team was following him from some distance at the time.

According to the official, the suspects noticed the CCD constable as he entered the locality and opened fire on him, leaving him critically wounded. He later died from bullet injuries while being shifted to hospital, while the attackers escaped from the scene.

Search operation launched

Police said the CCD and Gujrat district police cordoned off the area after the shooting and began a search operation to trace and arrest those involved.

Punjab CCD chief Sohail Zafar Chatha took notice of the incident and directed the relevant CCD police officials to arrest the suspects without delay.

Gujranwala CCD regional officer SSP Rizwan Tariq, along with other senior officials, also reached the site after the attack. A team from the Punjab Forensic Science Agency arrived to collect evidence from the crime scene.

Body shifted to hospital

The body of the constable was moved to Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital.

Police said Fiaz Shah was a resident of Jalalpur Jattan city. He is survived by his widow and three children, including a five-year-old son and a one-month-old daughter.

Investigators have begun work on the case, while police said the formal case had yet to be registered.

"A senior official of Gujranwala CCD police said constable Fiaz Shah had been posted in Jalalpur Jattan circle and was tasked with gathering intelligence information about some hardened criminals of the area whereas another team was following him at some distance.

The killing comes as the CCD continues operations in different parts of Punjab, though officials in this case have so far only said that the constable had been assigned to gather information on suspects in the area when he was attacked.