The gang-rape case has taken another turn as a second suspect, identified as Laeeq, was killed in an alleged police encounter near Kot Nanak village on Friday.

Meanwhile, two police officials have been arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe to facilitate Laeeq’s earlier release from custody.

Police sources said the officers from Kassoki police station were on routine patrol when their vehicle came under fire from three to four armed men near Kot Nanak.

Police returned fire in self-defence. During the exchange, one assailant was fatally shot — reportedly by gunfire from his own accomplices, who managed to flee. The deceased was later identified as Laeeq, one of the suspects in the gang-rape of a woman in front of her husband.

Laeeq’s body was shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital for autopsy, and police have registered a case against the unidentified attackers for assaulting law enforcement personnel. This development follows the death of another accused, Khawar, in a similar encounter just a day earlier.

Despite these operations, two main suspects — Ikram Mangat and Chand Mangat — remain at large.

Legal Inspector Muneeb Mangat, posted at the District Police Officer (DPO) office, and Kashif Warraich, in charge of the Hameed Pura police check post, have been charged with accepting a bribe of Rs140,000 in exchange for facilitating Laeeq’s escape from legal custody.