Infamous dacoit killed in ‘encounter’

SUKKUR: A notorious criminal was shot dead on Tuesday in an encounter with the police, but there are murmurs that the incident has actually been staged - and that police had arrested him four days prior to the ‘shoot-out’.

Mubin Narijo was wanted in more than 150 criminal cases, including murder, police encounter, kidnapping for ransom and extortion, and had an amount of Rs5 million placed on his head by the Sindh government.

Sources alleged that the police also arrested Mubin’s seven-year-old son Lakhmir, his uncle Long Fakir and his two cousins, Munawar and Mathal. The family was later whisked away to an unknown destination, the sources added. According to them, the police found out about Mubin’s hideout on a tip from Mubin’s rival, Immu Narijo, another infamous criminal of the province. Mubin was accused of killing three of Immu’s relatives in Khairpur a few months ago.

However, Larkana DPO Irfan Baloch said that the police was informed about Mubin’s whereabouts on an anonymous tip-off on Tuesday. The DPO then directed all the special teams and SHOs of all police stations in the district to get together and carry out a joint operation, reports PPI. When the five special teams arrived at the hideout, the suspects started firing at them, said the DPO, to which the police retaliated. Mubin was killed in this firing after which his accomplices managed to escape. Mubin’s body was brought by police to Naudero police station.

Baloch told journalists that the killed dacoit had wreaked havoc and terror in parts of upper Sindh and also in the bordering areas of Balochistan.

On the other hand, sources privy to the police’s operation said that the police had actually arrested Mubin four days ago from Balochistan and had simply staged this encounter to kill him.

They also said that Mubin’s rival, Immu, had done this because the two groups of the Narijo community have had a long standing conflict over land. After Mubin had killed three people of Immu’s group, the situation worsened till finally Mubin had to leave his village along with his family and close relatives. Mubin reportedly left with his wife, children, uncle and some other family members and took refuge in Shoran in Balochistan.

The police have been on the lookout for Mubin for several years now. Immu was able to find out Mubin’s new hideout through family connections, after which he tipped off the police. According to sources, he actually accompanied the police to Balochistan and helped them catch Mubin. According to PPI, the Sindh government had first put a price of Rs2 million on Mubin’s arrest and then later upped the head money to Rs5 million. Baloch said that Mubin was wanted for murders of 50 people, including 15 police officials.

Baloch said that Mubin had also kidnapped a Rangers colonel from Sukkur, who was recovered by the Ketty Mumtaz police. Mubin was also involved in kidnapping an Army major from Belo Bagirji.

The DPO also said that the killed dacoit had threatened to kill the Larkana DIGP Sanuallah Abbasi and Baloch as well, after which both officials had increased security at their offices.

Additional input from PPI

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2010.