Prime Suspect in Multan Orphan's Killing Shot Dead in Alleged Police Encounter After Escaping Custody

BAHAWALPUR: The prime suspect in the brutal killing of an orphaned teenager in Multan has been killed in an alleged encounter with Punjab's Crime Control Department (CCD) near Bahawalpur, hours after escaping from police custody, police said early on Wednesday.

Main News Report

• The alleged encounter: CCD District Officer Irfan Akbar said a police team attempted to stop two men riding a motorcycle near the Northern Bypass in Bahawalpur. The men opened fire on the police while attempting to flee, leading to an exchange of fire in which Tauqeer Nazir was killed, Geo News and The News reported.
• Killed by his accomplice's fire, police claim: According to the CCD official, Tauqeer was struck by bullets fired by his own accomplice, who managed to escape from the scene, Geo News reported.
• The custody escape: Tauqeer had escaped from the custody of Multan's DHA police station while on a four-day physical remand in connection with the murder of Waseem Abbas, according to police. Police have not explained how he escaped custody while on remand or how he reached Bahawalpur, Geo News reported.
• Remanded a day earlier: A judicial magistrate in Multan had handed Tauqeer over to police on a four-day physical remand on Tuesday for questioning in connection with the teenager's murder; Pakistan Today identified the magistrate as Saadia Aslam. The suspect was also reportedly assaulted by lawyers during his appearance in court on Tuesday, Geo News reported.
• Second suspect on the run: Police said another suspect in the teenager's murder, identified as Amjad Ali, was already on the run. The case was registered against Tauqeer Nazir and Amjad Ali under Sections 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, Geo News and Nazrana Times reported.

Background Context

Waseem Abbas, 15, was an orphan from Muzaffargarh district who had lived at an NGO-run orphanage in Multan for five to six years; his maternal grandfather had enrolled him there so he could receive an education, Pakistan Today reported. About a week before his death, the orphanage administration sent him to contractor Tauqeer Nazir to learn electrical work, according to Geo News and the orphanage's general secretary Shoaib Haider.

On Monday, after the teenager fled his workplace following alleged mistreatment and threats, the suspects allegedly pursued him in a car inside Multan's Royal Orchard housing society and ran him over, Geo News and Nazrana Times reported. Nazrana Times reported the vehicle was a Honda car bearing registration number BVE-474, and that the boy's head struck a pillar at the entrance of a house, killing him at the scene. CCTV footage from multiple angles showed the teenager being chased before the car struck him, undercutting claims that the death was an accident, Dunya News reported.

The teenager's body was taken to Nishtar Hospital under police supervision before being transported to his native Muzaffargarh district for burial, Pakistan Today reported. Police arrested Tauqeer at the scene and registered a murder case, Nazrana Times reported.

Reactions and Statements

• CCD District Officer Irfan Akbar: Said the police team tried to stop two motorcyclists on Bahawalpur's Northern Bypass, the suspects opened fire while fleeing, and Tauqeer was killed by his accomplice's gunfire during the exchange, Geo News and Dunya News reported.
• Police on the escape: Authorities have yet to disclose when or how Tauqeer escaped police custody before the alleged encounter, or how he travelled from Multan to Bahawalpur, Geo News reported.
• The suspect's denial: Before his death, Tauqeer denied deliberately killing the teenager; in a video statement circulating on social media he claimed the car skidded while he was trying to stop Waseem from running away — an account that has not been independently verified, Nazrana Times reported.
• The orphanage: General secretary Shoaib Haider confirmed Waseem had been sent to Nazir just six days before the incident to learn electrical work, Pakistan Today reported.
• Lawyers' assault: The accused was also subjected to assault by lawyers during his court appearance on Tuesday, Geo News and Dunya News reported.

Why This News Matters

• A child failed by the system: An orphaned 15-year-old, placed with a private contractor to learn a trade, was dead within about a week — allegedly chased down and crushed under a car after trying to escape mistreatment. The case has put the spotlight on how orphanages place vulnerable children with private employers.
• An escape with no answers: A murder suspect on court-ordered physical remand slipped out of a police station, and the police cannot yet say how — or how he reached another city. The escape raises serious questions about custody procedures in Punjab.
• Justice denied a trial: With the prime suspect dead before the case could be tried, the full facts of Waseem Abbas's killing may never be established in court, and the "killed by his accomplice's fire" account of the encounter is likely to face close scrutiny.
• The evidence that spoke: It was CCTV footage from several angles — not the suspects' claim of an accident — that established the killing as deliberate, underlining the role of video evidence in a case the powerful might otherwise have buried.

Future Developments

• Whether Punjab police order an inquiry into how a remand prisoner escaped from DHA police station, Multan, and whether any officers face action.
• The search for the second suspect, Amjad Ali, who remains on the run.
• Whether the circumstances of the alleged encounter — including the claim that Tauqeer died from his accomplice's bullets — are subjected to any independent scrutiny.
• Any review of the orphanage's practice of placing children with private contractors, and safeguards for children sent out for vocational training.

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