50 dead in first 10 days of Karachi's dark November

Lyari remains epi-centre of bloodshed; Baba Ladla and Uzair Baloch gangs continue kidnappings.

KARACHI: According to the police record, 50 people have lost their lives in Karachi in the first 10 days of violence in November, Express News reported on Sunday.

Members of political and religious organisations as well as police officers are among the people who died.

“Twenty of those who died lost their lives in Lyari,” a police officer told Express News.

Police and Rangers, however have arrested 80 alleged criminals from various areas of Karachi in the ongoing targeted operation. Weapons were also seized.

Lyari violence

Today, six people got injured in Lyari gang war between two groups - Baba Ladla and Uzair Baloch, Express News reported.

This incident took place in the Jhat Pat market in Lyari.

Rockets as well as hand grenades were also used.

According to initial details, Rangers and police officers were not present at the scene to control the situation.

On November 9, bodies of at least six men were found from Lyari and its neighbourhood in a fresh wave of gang war. The deceased persons have yet to be identified. It is believed that they were killed after being kidnapping by members of a rival group.

According to initial details, bodies of two men were found from Bihar Colony area of Lyari within the limits of Chakiwara police station. Another was found dead from Mirza Adam Khan locality also situated within the Chakiwara police remits.

Similarly, another man’s body was found from Bakra Piri area. He was shot and then slaughtered. Bodies of two more people were found from Napier and Sher Shah localities.

The corpses were sent to the Civil Hospital, Karachi for autopsy. No one came to the hospital to claim the dead bodies.

DSP Shakeel Awan while quoting the initial investigation said "all the victims were killed after being kidnapped in an apparent ongoing internal gang war", adding that "all the victims were shot and killed."

He further stated that "police also has reports about kidnapping of more gangsters by both groups – Baba Ladla and Uzair Baloch."

Extra contingent of law enforcers including Rangers and police reached the site but was unable to take any kind of action against the gangsters.

However, an overnight operation was expected. Earlier in the day, an alleged gangster and a police inspector among seven people lost their lives in separate acts of target killings and violence in parts of the metropolis.

Targeted operation

The Rangers-led cleanup operation had started in Karachi after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited the metropolitan and devised a strategy to curb violence.

With the provincial government on board, the prime minister gave a go-ahead to Rangers to conduct raids and arrest criminals.

The targeted operation began on September 7 and since then more than a thousand suspects have been arrested. The Rangers are leading the operation which, they claim, is being conducted across the city – not just in the political strongholds of one party.