Killings and arrests: Two alleged target killers gunned down

Six people, including three policemen, arrested

KARACHI:

Two alleged target killers were shot dead during an encounter with the Rangers in Lyari while three policemen and three militants were arrested during separate raids in the city on Friday.

The hit men, according to the sources, were allegedly involved in more than a dozen target killing cases and were killed in an encounter in Lyari. The encounter took place when the Rangers conducted a raid on the hideouts of alleged gang members in Tughlaq Lane.

According to the Rangers spokesperson, the criminals opened fire at the Rangers during the raid and tried to escape. He said that the Rangers also fired back and two men were killed in the exchange of fire. The deceased were taken to Civil Hospital, Karachi, where they were identified as Farooq and Samad alias Rangu.

The Rangers spokesperson claimed that Farooq was associated with the Omar Kutchi group of Lyari gangsters while Samad was associated with Wasiullah Lakho group. He said that both men were wanted in several criminal cases, including 16 targeted attacks. He added that weapons were also recovered from their possession.

Arrests

Three members of a banned outfit were arrested during a raid conducted by the Rangers in Manghopir. According to the Rangers spokesperson, the suspects were arrested when the Rangers received information about their whereabouts and conducted a raid at their hideout. He added that weapons were also recovered. The identities of the suspects were not disclosed and they were shifted to an undisclosed location for further questioning.

In an unrelated incident, three policemen was arrested over their alleged involvement in robbing a superstore in Defence Housing Authority (DHA). A police sub-inspector identified as Hamza and two constables, Mazhar and Ilyas, were arrested with the help of CCTV footage from the superstore located on 26th Street, DHA, within the limits of the Darakshan police station.

Police sources said that the accused policemen robbed the store while patrolling the area along with other men a few days ago and managed to escape with stolen goods worth Rs350,000 - which included pre-paid cards worth around Rs90,000. The stolen items were recovered from their possession and a case has been registered against them while further investigation is underway.

The SHO of the Darakshan police station, Ahsan Zulfiqar, confirmed that the incident had taken place but claimed that he had no further information about what had happened.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 25^th, 2014.