Encounters and killings: Two cops shot dead, police kill two suspects

Police claim the two suspects killed in Lyari were involved in the cops' killings

KARACHI: Two police officials were shot dead in Lea Market late Monday night. Meanwhile, police claim to have killed two alleged gangsters involved in the killings of policemen. 

The two police personnel were targeted by unidentified persons while on duty at a checkpost near Lea Market, within the limits of Kharadar police station. They were identified as Idress Shah and Nadeem Anwar. Both were rushed to Civil Hospital, Karachi, where they succumbed to their injuries.  Police officials said that the victims were shot by members of a Lyari-based gang. The funeral prayers were offered at Police Headquarters, Garden, on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, police claimed to have killed two alleged gang members, Sumair alias Kichal and Rashid Mullah alias Jadugar. Napier SHO Azam Khan claimed that the suspects were commanders of the Baba Ladla group. He added that they were involved in the Jhatpat Market carnage in March 2014 and the targeted killing of the banned Peoples Amn Committee leader, Zafar Baloch. In the former incident, 19 civilians were killed and another 50 injured when gangsters affiliated with the Baba Ladla group launched an offensive against their rivals, the Uzair Baloch group.

The officer suspected they were also involved in the targeted killing of the two police personnel near Lea Market earlier that night. He said they were sure the law enforcers were targeted by the Baba Ladla gang and it was possible the two deceased gangsters were the perpetrators.

On the other hand, the suspects' families claimed they were killed in a fake encounter as both had been detained by the police a couple of weeks ago.  The families demanded a fair inquiry into the incident and called for strict action against the police personnel involved.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2015.