WEBDESK - NAYADAUR
A 19-year-old man arrested in Peshawar on allegations of desecrating graves and sexually abusing the remains of recently buried women and children was killed Tuesday after unidentified gunmen opened fire on a police team, according to police.
The incident occurred in the Budhni/Budber area as police were taking the suspect, identified as Salman, to Sheikhān Cemetery to identify locations connected to the investigation.
According to a police statement cited by BBC Urdu, six unidentified armed men riding three motorcycles suddenly opened fire on the police vehicle. Police said the attackers damaged the official vehicle as well as an officer’s bulletproof vest and helmet.
Salman was seriously wounded in the shooting and died while being taken to a hospital, police said. The attackers fled the scene.
Police said they have launched a search operation to identify and arrest those responsible for the attack.
Arrest followed alleged cemetery incident
Salman had been taken into custody Monday after a cemetery watchman allegedly caught him removing the body of a recently buried young girl from a grave, according to the first information report (FIR).
The FIR was registered on the complaint of a resident of Deh Sheikhān and included provisions relating to the desecration of a place of worship or cemetery, sexual assault, child protection and the Foreigners Act. Police said the latter provision was included because the suspect was an Afghan national.
According to the FIR, local residents had previously reported incidents involving graves being disturbed but had not formally brought those cases to police. The complainant alleged that Salman had previously been involved in similar incidents involving the remains of women.
Police said a large crowd gathered at the cemetery after the suspect was caught and that officers intervened to disperse the crowd before taking him into custody.
Peshawar Capital City Police Officer Dr. Mian Saeed Ahmad had earlier appealed for calm and ordered an investigation into the incident, according to police.
Police claim suspect admitted to 10 cases
In its latest statement, Peshawar police said preliminary questioning indicated that Salman had allegedly confessed to desecrating 10 graves.
The claim has not been independently verified, and the allegations against the deceased suspect cannot now be tested through a trial.
The circumstances of his death have also raised questions because he was killed while in police custody. Police maintain that the shooting was carried out by unidentified armed attackers.
The incident is not the first recent case in Peshawar in which suspects accused of serious crimes have died in circumstances described by police as attacks by unidentified gunmen.
On Sept. 11, four men arrested over allegations of gang rape in Peshawar were also reported by police to have been killed when unidentified attackers opened fire as they were being taken to identify the alleged crime scene.
Earlier in December 2025, a man identified as Samiullah, who had been arrested on allegations involving the sexual assault of his niece, also died while in police custody under circumstances described as suspicious.
Questions over deaths in police custody
The latest case has renewed scrutiny of the circumstances in which suspects die while under police control, particularly in cases involving allegations of sexual violence and other serious crimes.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), in a fact-finding report issued last year, alleged that Punjab's Crime Control Department had adopted a deliberate pattern of encounters that, in numerous cases, resulted in extrajudicial killings.
Such allegations have prompted broader concerns about due process, accountability and the constitutional rights of suspects in criminal investigations.
In Salman's case, police have said the investigation into the shooting is continuing and that efforts are underway to identify those who attacked the police team.
Because the suspect died before facing trial, allegations against him remain allegations rather than findings established by a court.