The Multan teenager case took a new turn on Wednesday after Tauqeer Nazir, the suspect accused of deliberately running over 15-year-old Waseem Abbas in Multan, was killed in an encounter with the Crime Control Department (CCD) in Bahawalpur, police said.
According to the CCD, Nazir had escaped from police custody on Tuesday night, a day after a judicial magistrate granted him four days of physical remand in connection with the teenager’s death.
Police said CCD personnel attempted to stop two men riding a motorcycle near Bahawalpur’s Northern Bypass on Wednesday morning. The men allegedly opened fire on the police team, triggering an exchange of gunfire.
Nazir was killed during the exchange, while his alleged accomplice escaped while firing at the police, according to the CCD. Special teams were pursuing the fleeing suspect.
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The encounter marks a significant development in a case that sparked outrage over the death of a vulnerable teenager who had been sent to a contractor to learn electrical work.
What Happened to Waseem Abbas in Multan?
Waseem Abbas died on Monday after a car allegedly ran him over in a private housing society in Multan following a dispute related to his work.
The incident occurred within the jurisdiction of the DHA Police Station. Rescue officials said the teenager suffered severe head injuries and died at the scene.
According to the first information report (FIR), police Sub-Inspector Liaquat Ali Bhatti was patrolling Royal Orchard with other personnel when Mukhtiar Ahmed approached them at around 4:35pm.
Mukhtiar reportedly told police that his cousin, Abbas, had been working as an electrician for Nazir and another man, identified as Amjad Ali. He alleged that the suspects had subjected the teenager to violence and threatened to kill him.
The FIR stated that Abbas fled towards a neighbouring street to escape the alleged abuse, but the two men pursued him in a car.
Police said they saw Abbas running in fear, followed by a Honda vehicle bearing registration number BVE-474.
The FIR alleged that the suspects deliberately ran the vehicle over the teenager, causing his head to strike a pillar at the entrance of a house. He suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene.
Two residents, Saqlain Raza and Syed Naseem Abbas, were named as witnesses. According to the FIR, they told police that the teenager had passed by shortly before the incident, saying that the suspects wanted to kill him and that he was running to save his life.
The FIR names Nazir and Amjad under Sections 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which concern murder and acts carried out by several people in furtherance of a common intention.
These allegations had not been established through a court verdict.
Suspect Reportedly Escaped Police Custody
Police arrested Nazir following the incident and presented him before Judicial Magistrate Saadia Aslam, who granted four days of physical remand on Tuesday.
However, the CCD later said Nazir escaped from police custody that night.
On Wednesday morning, CCD personnel encountered two men travelling on a motorcycle near the Northern Bypass in Bahawalpur. Police said the riders opened fire when officers attempted to stop them.
The ensuing exchange of gunfire left Nazir dead, while the second man fled.
The CCD said efforts were underway to trace the fleeing suspect. Further details about the circumstances of Nazir’s reported escape and the encounter were not provided in the information available.
When Nazir was brought before the court following his arrest in Multan, lawyers allegedly assaulted him outside the courtroom despite the presence of police personnel.
Teenager Had Been Living at an Orphanage for Five Years
The case has also raised questions about the protection and supervision of children living in care institutions.
According to Shoaib Haider, general secretary of the orphanage where Abbas had been living, the teenager had spent five years at the facility and wanted to learn electrical work.
The orphanage sent him to Nazir, a contractor, approximately six days before the incident to learn the trade.
Haider said the contractor had a team of around 40 to 45 boys and that the orphanage had made inquiries before sending Abbas to work with him.
He said the orphanage had not previously received complaints against the contractor.
According to Haider, Nazir claimed he had followed Abbas in his car after the teenager became tired while running away on foot. The suspect reportedly maintained that his vehicle had slipped.
Haider said video footage did not appear to support that explanation and questioned why Abbas had been running away from the contractor.
Another boy from the orphanage had also been working for Nazir, but the facility brought him back following the incident.
Abbas’s cousin Nadeem, who had lived at the orphanage for six years, said the teenager had often expressed reluctance to go to the contractor and had wanted to return home.
The teenager’s body was shifted to Nishtar Hospital under police supervision before being transported to his native district of Muzaffargarh for burial.
Family Demands Justice for Waseem Abbas
Abbas’s family demanded justice, alleging that the teenager had been deliberately killed.
His uncle, Jafar Hussain, told the media that Abbas’s father had died nine years earlier. The boy’s maternal grandfather initially supported him before Hussain looked after him for two to three years. The family later placed him in the orphanage, he said.
“Tauqeer deliberately killed my nephew,” Hussain said, demanding accountability for the teenager’s death.
Abbas’s maternal grandfather said he had taken the boy to the orphanage because he wanted him to receive an education rather than struggle on the streets.
Residents said Abbas and his brother had been admitted to the institution after their mother remarried following their father’s death.
The teenager’s funeral prayers were held at around 2am in Mouza Daulatpur, and he was buried in his ancestral graveyard. Close relatives and orphanage officials attended the funeral.
Punjab Bureau Rejects Orphanage Registration
The Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) also took action following the teenager’s death.
Its chairperson, Sarah Ahmad, said the bureau had refused to register the Multan-based orphanage over its failure to ensure the safety and supervision of a child placed with a contractor for work.
In a statement on X, Ahmad urged Punjab police to take legal action against the orphanage owner and hold those responsible accountable.
She said the bureau had established minimum care standards for orphanages across Punjab and stressed that institutions responsible for children could not neglect their duty of care.
Ahmad also called on the Punjab Charities Commission to review the orphanage’s registration and licence and cancel them where warranted under the law.
“Every child deserves protection, dignity and safety. No orphan should be left at the mercy of those entrusted with their care,” she said.
The case has brought renewed attention to the safeguards needed when orphanages arrange work or vocational training for children. While the suspect’s death in the Bahawalpur encounter has changed the course of the criminal investigation, questions remain about the teenager’s alleged treatment, the circumstances of the reported escape from custody and the responsibilities of the institution that placed him with the contractor.
