Justice served?: Four killed in alleged encounters with law enforcers

Families of the deceased in Lyari claimed they were picked up by Rangers and killed later.

KARACHI: Four suspected criminals were killed in two alleged encounters with the law enforcers on Tuesday.

The situation turned violent in restive Lyari following the killings of two men in an alleged encounter with the law enforcers on Tuesday. Law enforcers claimed both men were killed in the encounter and were affiliated with the Lyari gangs. Their families, however, refuted the allegations and claimed that they were killed after being picked up by the Rangers. The deceased were identified as Akram alias Jharab, associated with the Mullah Nisar group of Lyari gangsters and Asif alias 20, associated with the Ustad Taju group.

Following their killings, their families staged a demonstration and raised slogans against the police and Rangers. "Both were stopped by Rangers for violating the ban imposed on pillion riding," claimed one of the protesters. "Soon after, they took them to an undisclosed location and shot them."



On the other hand, Kalakot SHO Shahjahan Lashari claimed that the police and Rangers had conducted a joint raid at the gangsters' hideout in Nayabad. As the law enforcers reached the site, the suspected gangsters opened fire and tried to flee. In the retaliatory fire by the law enforcers, the two suspects were killed.

Their killings caused panic in the area as three more people were wounded when unidentified persons resorted to indiscriminate firing in different parts of Lyari while routine and commercial activities were also suspended.

Separately, two more suspected gangsters were killed during an alleged encounter in Dur Muhammad Goth within Memon Goth police limits. SHO Naeem Khan said that the encounter occurred when police and Rangers raided the gangsters' hideout. During the exchange of fire, two suspects were killed. The officer also claimed to have recovered two Kalashnikovs from their possession.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2014.