Aamir Tamba, one of the accused in the 2013 fatal attack on Indian death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh in Kot Lakhpat jail, has died during treatment after he was seriously injured when unidentified motorcyclists opened fire on him on Sunday morning.

The attack took place in Lahore's Islampura area, leaving Tamba critically wounded.

The death of Aamir Sarfaraz alias Tamba was confirmed by his family sources, while hospital sources said he died due to excessive bleeding. The deceased was hit by four bullets, the sources added.

The family also claimed he had been receiving threats for some time, adding that two unidentified motorcyclists entered the house and opened fire on him.

Police said Tamba was shot twice in the chest and twice in the legs, police sources said. The law enforcement agencies have taken the body into custody and started an investigation.

According to the police, the shooting took place in Ganga Street area of Islampura where two suspects on a motorcycle entered Tamba's house and opened fire on him. Police said he was swiftly rushed to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention as forces rushed to the scene, cordoning off the area in search of the assailants.

A case of the attack on Tamba was registered in Islampura police station on the complaint of his brother Junaid Sarfaraz, police said. The case was registered under the murder provisions.

The brother claimed Tamba was present in the upper storey of the house where he was shot thrice. "One attacker was wearing a helmet and the other was wearing a mask," he says in the FIR. He further says Tamba was shifted to a hospital in ambulance after the attack.

Sarabjit's killing

Tamba's involvement in the infamous attack on Sarabjit Singh, a high-profile Indian death row prisoner, adds a layer of complexity to this incident. The attack on Singh had garnered significant attention and controversy, and Tamba's subsequent injury raises questions about potential motives and connections.

In December 2018, the Lahore District and Sessions Court had acquitted Tamba and co-accused Mudassar, both on death row in Kot Lakhpat Jail, of all charges in the case of the killing of Sarabjit Sindh in captivity.

The court had cited a lack of evidence as the reason for the acquittal.

Singh, 49, had died in 2013 as a result of an attack by Tamba and Mudassar with bricks and iron rods. He had been found guilty of taking part in several bombings in the Pakistani Punjab in 1990, and he was given the death penalty.