Polio team threatened during vaccination drive in Rawalpindi

RAWALPINDI: A polio vaccination team was allegedly stopped from carrying out its work and threatened by a local resident during an anti-polio drive in Rawalpindi’s Naseerabad area, police said on Tuesday.

According to police, the incident took place near Hussain Abad Graveyard during the ongoing campaign. The accused allegedly behaved improperly with a female polio worker, used abusive language, followed members of the vaccination team in the street and threatened them with serious consequences.

Police said the episode caused panic and fear among the polio team members. A case was registered against the suspect on the complaint of the district health authority. The accused had not been arrested by the time the report was filed, according to police.

Security arrangements for anti-polio campaign

A four-day anti-polio campaign began in Rawalpindi on Monday. During the drive, anti-polio workers have been going door to door to administer vaccine drops to children.

Police said nearly 900 personnel had been deployed to provide security to vaccination teams. Under a broader security plan, 899 police officials were assigned to protect the teams during the campaign, which is running from May 18 to May 21.

The security deployment comes as vaccination teams continue field operations across the district as part of the ongoing effort to reach children at their homes.

Suspect arrested after alleged police encounter

In a separate development in Rawalpindi, police said one suspect was arrested after being injured during an alleged encounter with a police party in the New Town police area, while his accomplice escaped.

A police spokesman said the incident occurred late Monday night when two suspects opened fire on a police team in the jurisdiction of New Town police station. During the exchange of fire, one of the suspects was injured, while the other fled the scene.

Police said they recovered a stolen motorcycle and a fake number plate from the suspects. Investigators said the men had been changing the number plates of a motorcycle that had allegedly been stolen from the New Town area about a month earlier.

According to police, the arrested suspect was wanted in cases involving motorcycle theft and other crimes in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Gujrat. Senior police officers reached the site after being informed of the incident, while the injured suspect was shifted to hospital.

Police said a search operation was continuing to arrest the absconding suspect.