RAWALPINDI: Alayan Masih, a Bykea rider, sustained multiple bullet injuries after being mistakenly targeted by Dolphin Force personnel shortly after dropping a passenger (identified as a suspect) at Farooq-i-Azam Road.
In a recorded statement with Sadiqabad police, Masih recounted picking up a passenger from Kuri Road and dropping him at Farooq-i-Azam Road when police arrived at the scene. The passenger allegedly opened fire on the police, damaging a police van, prompting Dolphin Force personnel to respond with nine gunshots, mistaking Masih for an accomplice.
Masih sustained bullet wounds to his legs and thigh, emphasizing he was unarmed and only a Bykea rider. He stated the police fired from approximately four meters away before approaching him. Upon realizing his identity, the personnel ceased fire. Subsequent police reinforcements transported him to Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), where he received medical treatment.
Following the incident, the CPO Rawalpindi ordered an inquiry and suspended four Dolphin Force personnel involved. The passenger, Arslan, and two others were charged with attempted kidnapping of a girl, as per a complaint filed by the victim’s mother. The suspect and an accomplice reportedly escaped after firing shots in the air, while the injured motorcyclist was identified as Masih.
Provincial Minister Ramesh Singh Arora took notice of the incident, and an Assistant Commissioner visited BBH to ensure adequate medical care for Masih.