Two Proclaimed Offenders Killed in Sargodha EncounterPakistan

According to the Crime Control Department, both men were wanted in several criminal cases, including kidnappings for ransom, murder and extortion. The department said the two had become a source of fear in the area because of the cases against them.

Police said a Crime Control Department team had moved to arrest the two men when the encounter took place. The details of how the exchange of fire began have been reported on the basis of the police account, and the circumstances of the encounter have not yet been independently verified.

Soon after receiving the report, District Police Officer Tauqir Mohammad Naeem reached the spot along with a heavy contingent of police, cordoned off the entire area and started a search operation to apprehend the accomplices of the two men.

Security was also beefed up in the area after the incident, and police said the search for the accomplices was continuing. No police casualties were reported in the account of the encounter.

The Crime Control Department is the Punjab Police unit that deals with proclaimed offenders and organised crime. Police in Punjab have stepped up operations against proclaimed offenders in recent months, and encounters with wanted men have been reported from several districts.

The allegations against the two men, including the kidnapping, murder and extortion cases cited by police, have not been proven in court. The police account is the basis of the details reported so far, and further information is awaited as the search operation continues and the authorities complete their formalities.

A proclaimed offender is a person declared by a court after failing to appear despite repeated summons, and the police are tasked with securing their arrest. The two men killed on Sunday were described by police as proclaimed offenders, which is why the Crime Control Department team had been assigned to trace them.