ISLAMABAD: At least three people were injured when motorway police officials opened fire on a passenger bus near the Rawalpindi Toll Plaza.
The motorway police, in a mobile camera video making rounds on the social media, can be seen chasing a private passenger bus on M2, apparently trying to stop the vehicle.
The driver, however, did not stop the bus and turned the vehicle left at a cross-section. Upon this, the police officials opened fire on the bus, after which it was stopped.
The video showed two people sustaining injuries as a result, while some unidentified persons ran away after offloading from the bus.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Motorway police officer Mehmood Khokhar claimed that the police had received a tip-off from Collector Customs Intelligence that non-custom paid items were being smuggled through the bus from Peshawar.
“When the vehicle reached Islamabad Toll Plaza, our officer told the driver that the bus needed to be checked, upon which the driver started a brawl,” Khokhar claimed, adding that when backup reached there, the driver sped the bus away.
The official further said that officers repeatedly tried to stop the bus but the driver did not listen to the warnings. “Our officers opened fire in retaliation after someone inside the bus fired shots at them,” he claimed, adding, after the action by police, the driver stopped the bus and ran away.
“One individual got injured, who was taken to hospital by our officers. Our officers stayed there until his family came,” Khokhar said, adding that the two officers involved in the incident have been suspended and an investigation against them is underway.