Faisalabad youths shot dead by police weren’t robbers: CPO

FAISALABAD: City Police Officer Ashfaq Khan said on Friday that the two young boys shot dead in police firing were not dacoits and no evidence was found of the duo opening fire upon the policemen.

Speaking to Geo News, Ashfaq Khan said that the two boys named Arsalan and Usman had no criminal record and both were innocent.

He further said that the inquiry team will present its initial investigation report today, adding that the complete report will take some time to be completed.

The CPO said that raids are underway to arrest the involved policemen and they will be arrested soon.

On Thursday, citizens of Faisalabad took to the streets in protest after two youth were shot dead in what police said was an "encounter".

A young man identified as Arsalan died on spot yesterday, while another, named Usman, succumbed to his wounds at the Allied Hospital later in the day.

The two friends had gone out to have dinner and were shot dead by the police after they failed to stop on the police's orders, the families of the deceased youth said.

According to families of the deceased — residents of Millat Town — Usman and Arsalan had recently completed secondary school. The former was the son of a police head constable Munawwar and had secured 960 out of 1050 marks in matric examination.

According to the police, the two 'suspects' opened fire after they were signalled to stop. They further claimed that a pistol and magazine were recovered from the possession of the deceased.