A 22-year-old police constable has committed suicide by shooting himself in the Wadala Dayal Shah area of Ferozewala, months before his wedding.
As per the details, Constable Sheroz Afzal Ansari, who belonged to Battalion No. 7 of the Punjab Constabulary and was posted on security duty at the MPA Hostels in Lahore, ended his life by shooting himself in the head at his home.
After the incident, Ferozwala police moved the body to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital for postmortem while further investigation is underway.
The incident is not the first of its kind as last month Islamabad also witnessed a distressing incident when Superintendent of Police (SP) Adeel Akbar of Industrial Area I-9 took his own life.
Initial reports said he was talking to someone over the phone before snatching the service pistol from a guard and shooting himself in the chest.
Rescue teams shifted him to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in critical condition where doctors tried to save his life, but he succumbed to injuries.
A heavy police contingent reached PIMS soon after the incident. Islamabad Police Inspector General Ali Nasir Rizvi visited the hospital, received updates from doctors and supervised postmortem arrangements.
Investigators retrieved SP Adeel Akbar’s mobile phone data as they tried to determine who made the final call to him and what had been discussed. Officers also detained the operator on duty, the gunman and other officials present at the scene for questioning.
SP Adeel Akbar belonged to the 46 Common Training Programme (CTP) batch. He had previously served in Balochistan and hailed from Kamoki.
His death raised serious concerns about stress, pressure and mental health challenges within the police force after it was revealed that a day before his death the cop visited a doctor at his private clinic and informed the medical practitioner that he was having suicidal ideation.
Psychiatrist Dr Sultan Muhammad, who checked the SP, suggested he take leave and get admitted to PIMS, but the deceased informed him that he had applied for leave that was not approved.
The doctor also asked the police official’s wife to keep his service weapon, knives and any other objects that could be used for self-harm out of his reach.
The deceased police officer held an MPhil in governance and public policy from the National Defence University and was an expert in security management, community policing, human rights protection, counter-terrorism and crisis response.
He was known among colleagues for his professionalism, humility and commitment to public service.