Gujranwala bride-killing suspect dies in alleged CCD encounter

The man accused of shooting dead his bride in Gujranwala on 24 October was killed in what the CCD described as an encounter on Mado Khalil Road, Aaj News reported, citing the department's sources. Sarfraz died while being taken to hospital.

CCD sources said four men riding two motorcycles opened fire on officers as soon as they saw them. One of the four was wounded and three escaped. The wounded man was identified as Sarfraz.

A CCD source told Aaj News that Sarfraz was hit by fire from his own companions, and the outlet described the shooting as an alleged encounter. The report did not say whether officers returned fire.

According to CCD officials, Sarfraz left Gujranwala after the killing, travelled to Karachi and then tried to hide in Balochistan. Teams followed him through Sindh and Balochistan, and he came face to face with officers near Mado Khalil Road when he returned. UrduPoint carried the same account, saying he fled Gujranwala to avoid arrest and went first to Karachi.

In a separate operation the CCD arrested a man named Hamza, described as Sarfraz's accomplice. A woman named Aroob, also named in the case, was arrested earlier. On the department's account, the three men who escaped on Mado Khalil Road are still at large.

Police say Sarfraz shot Saba near Saman Abad Chowngi in Gujranwala on 24 October, the day of their valima, because she had married someone else. Aaj News put the killing on the day of the valima, and UrduPoint gave the same date.

No case has been reported over Sarfraz's death. Aaj News carried no statement from his family and none from witnesses to the Mado Khalil Road shooting, and did not name the officers involved.

UrduPoint, in a separate report, said a court in Bahawalnagar sentenced a man to death for killing his wife and ordered him to pay a Rs500,000 fine and Rs500,000 in compensation. The available report did not name the court, the convict or the date of the order.