BAHAWALPUR: Police said on Wednesday that Tauqeer Nazir, the main suspect in the Waseem Abbas murder case, had died in an alleged encounter near Bahawalpur, Punjab, after escaping custody.
Punjab’s Crime Control Department (CCD) District Officer Irfan Akbar said officers tried to stop two men travelling on a motorcycle near the Northern Bypass. He accused them of opening fire while trying to flee.
According to Akbar, Nazir died from bullets fired by his companion during the exchange. His companion escaped. Nazir had been held at Multan’s DHA police station on a four-day physical remand. Police have not explained when or how he escaped, or how he reached Bahawalpur.
A judicial magistrate had authorised the remand on Tuesday for questioning over the teenager’s killing. Lawyers reportedly assaulted Nazir when police brought him to court.
Waseem Abbas, 15, died after a car struck him in Multan’s Royal Orchard housing society. Police accused Nazir of pursuing the teenager after he tried to leave his workplace because of alleged mistreatment.
Video footage showed Abbas running before the vehicle hit him. Investigators reported finding no evidence that he had committed theft.
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Police registered a case against Nazir and another suspect, Amjad Ali, under Sections 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Amjad remained at large in the murder investigation. Police did not identify the motorcyclist who escaped near Bahawalpur.
Abbas lived at an orphanage run by a non-governmental organisation. He was sent to Nazir about a week before his death to learn electrical work.
Orphanage general secretary Shoaib Haider said the institution had made inquiries about the contractor before placing Abbas with him. He maintained that it had received no previous complaints against Nazir.
Haider recounted Nazir’s explanation that his car had slipped while he was following Abbas. However, Haider questioned that account based on the video footage.
Haider added that another boy, who had been placed with the contractor, had been brought back to the orphanage. Police detained several orphanage staff members for questioning. Abbas was buried in his ancestral graveyard in Muzaffargarh district.
