No respite in sight: Key figure of Lyari gang war killed in encounter

A minor and a young man were killed as violence escalated between the gangsters again.

KARACHI: A key suspect of the Lyari gang war was killed in an alleged encounter with law enforcers in Saeedabad on Saturday night. Meanwhile, a 12-year-old boy and a young man were killed, while more than six others, including children, were injured by firing and awan rocket attacks in Lyari and its adjoining areas on Sunday.

The notorious Lyari gangster, Hafiz Dada, was killed when the police and Rangers raided his hideout in Sajjan Goth, Saeedabad. SP Malik Muhammad Ehsan told The Express Tribune that the raid was conducted on a tip-off on the night between Saturday and Sunday.



SP Ehsan reported that the gangsters started firing at the law enforcers when they reached the site. In the retaliatory fire by the law enforcers, Hafiz Dada was killed. Meanwhile, two of his companions managed to escape under the cover of fire. Police claim to have seized a Kalashnikov from the site.  “Dada was affiliated with the Uzair Baloch group and was a key player in the Lyari gang war,” claimed SP Ehsan. “He was also an expert in firing awan rockets.”

The officer claimed that the deceased was responsible for the death of a Rangers official, Muhammad Hanif, who was killed when the Rangers conducted a raid at the gangsters’ hideout in April.

Tensions flare up again

Tension prevailed in Lyari following the firing and awan rocket attacks that claimed at least two lives and injured three children. Witnesses and law enforcers said that the incidents of firing and awan rocket attacks occurred in Shah Baig Lane, Baghdadi, where armed gangsters opened gunfire and fired awan rockets.

As a result of the firing, a 12-year-old boy who was later identified as Ahsan, son of Ghulam Sarwar, was killed and three children, identified as Sagheer, 10, son of Mohammad Ayaz, Milad Raza, 12, son of Ibrahim and M Omer, 8, son of Ghulam Sarwar, were wounded. Another young man was also shot dead in the same area. He has yet to be identified. The bodies of the deceased and the injured persons were taken to Civil Hospital Karachi.

The area where the incident occurred is a stronghold of Lyari’s notorious gangster, Jabbar Jhengu, who is affiliated with the Uzair Baloch gang. Law enforcers believe that the attacks were carried out by the Baba Ladla group. “The attacks were carried out by Baba Ladla and were a part of the ongoing conflict between the gangsters to occupy each other’s areas,” said an officer of the Baghdadi police station, Shaukat Hussain, while talking to The Express Tribune.

“After firing several rounds of ammunition, the gangsters fired at least half-a-dozen awan rockets.” The officer said that two deaths have been confirmed by the police so far while there were also reports of more casualties.

The attacks caused an escalation in the gang war as armed men resorted to indiscriminate firing in various parts of Lyari, including Jhat Phat Lane, Tughlat Lane, Kamaila Stop, Gulistan Colony and Tannery Road, suspending routine and commercial activities.

Meanwhile, six people, including three women, were wounded in firing and a hand grenade attack in Macchar Colony within the limits of Docks police station.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2013.