Kohat police on duty. Photo: Online (file)
DI KHAN:
Violence targeting law enforcement and development projects intensified in parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as an assistant sub-inspector was martyred in a shooting in Kohat, while unidentified attackers set ablaze heavy machinery at a construction company’s camp in Bannu, causing losses running into millions of ru-pees.
In Kohat, police Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Musaddiq Khan was martyred on the spot after coming under fire from unidentified armed assailants. According to police, the attackers opened indiscriminate fire before fleeing the scene. Soon after the incident, a heavy contingent of police reached the area, cordoned it off, and launched a comprehensive search operation to trace the perpetrators.
District Police Officer (DPO) Kohat Shahbaz Elahi visited the crime scene, reviewed the available evidence, and issued special directives to police officers to ensure the early arrest of those involved. Following the attack, security across the city was placed on high alert, while multiple police teams were formed to conduct raids and continue search operations in surrounding areas.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident in Bannu, unidentified individuals attacked the camp of a private construction company working on the Bannu Circular Road project in the Doumanzi area. The assailants reportedly set the camp on fire, destroying heavy machinery and equipment worth millions of rupees.
Sources said the attackers had earlier allegedly demanded extortion from the company. Upon failure to receive the demanded amount, they carried out the retaliatory attack. Late at night, an estimated 20 to 25 armed men reportedly entered the camp and, in a systematic manner, torched machinery including cranes, dumpers, excava-tors, water tankers, generators, rollers, loaders, a solar plant, tractors, diesel drums, curing compound drums, and a welding plant.
