The prime suspect in the murder of 15-year-old orphan Waseem Abbas has been shot dead in an alleged encounter with Punjab’s Crime Control Department, hours after he reportedly slipped out of police custody. Tauqeer Nazir, an electrical contractor, was killed early on Wednesday near the Northern Bypass in Bahawalpur.
Police say Nazir escaped custody from Multan’s DHA police station while on a four-day physical remand, though no official has explained how he got out or reached Bahawalpur. CCD District Officer Irfan Akbar said a CCD team tried to stop two men on a motorcycle; the pair opened fire, an exchange followed, and Nazir was hit by bullets allegedly fired by his own accomplice, who fled the scene. Efforts are under way to trace the second man.
Waseem Abbas was an orphan from Muzaffargarh whose father had died in childhood and whose mother had remarried. He and his siblings were admitted to the Dar-ul-Khuda orphanage in Multan, where he lived for about six years. Roughly a week ago, he was handed to Nazir to learn electrical work. Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari said the boy fled the workplace on October 19 after being mistreated; Nazir and his associate Amjad allegedly chased him for about a kilometre and ran him over in Multan’s Royal Orchard housing society.
A murder case (FIR 990/2026) has been registered under Sections 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Raids are being carried out in Faisalabad to arrest Amjad, and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is personally monitoring the case. Police say CCTV footage of the incident exists from multiple angles, no evidence was found that the boy had been involved in theft, and several orphanage staff have been detained for questioning. The SP Cantt met the family in Muzaffargarh, where financial support was provided; the boy was buried in his ancestral graveyard at Mauza Daulatpur.
Nazir had been attacked by lawyers during his court appearance on October 20. He was a suspect and was never convicted; the encounter account remains the police version of events.
Related: Multan Court Grants 4-Day Remand in Orphan Boy’s Death
