Raids and arrests: Four alleged gang members shot dead in separate encounters

Three other suspects caught during a snap-check near Power House Chowrangi.

KARACHI: Three commanders of the Lyari gang war were shot dead in an alleged encounter with the police and Rangers near Gabol Park on Wednesday. A suspected gangster was also killed in Lyari while the police claim to have arrested three streets criminals in different encounters.

The police and Rangers conducted a raid in Lyari’s Gabol Park area within the limits of the Kalakot police station after they received a tip-off about who was there. SHO Haji Sanaullah said that when they got there, they were spotted by the alleged gang members who opened fire at them. The police started firing back in retaliation and as a result, the gangsters were killed.

The deceased were identified as 32-year-old Abdul Waheed alias Pappu, Zubair Baloch alias Bhaiyya and Arif Patni, 30 and were residents of Lyari’s Afshani Gali, Singu Lane and Dubai Chowk.  Police officials said that the men were associated with the Ustad Taju, Mullah Nisar and Omar Kutchi groups respectively. They added that the men were involved in several murder, attempted murder, kidnapping for ransom and extortion cases.

Many areas in Lyari, including Afshani Gali, Dubai Chowk, Singu Lane and Cheel Chowk remained tense as unidentified men resorted to indiscriminate firing as a reaction to the killings.

The bodies were taken to Civil Hospital Karachi where family members and friends arrived and created a commotion. The police and Rangers had to arrive at the hospital to control the situation and arrested five people for disrupting the law and order. They were taken to an undisclosed location for questioning.

DG Rangers Sindh announced a Rs100,000 cash prize for Rangers officials and personnel involved in carrying out a successful operation.

Meanwhile, another alleged gangster was killed during an encounter at City Railway Colony within the limits of the Mithadar police station. The police officials claim that two gangsters from Lyari were busy mugging pedestrians when the on-duty policemen tried to intercept them. This led to an exchange of fire in which a suspect was killed. SHO Tariq Baig said that one suspect was killed while his companion managed to escape. The body was taken to Edhi morgue, Sohrab Goth for identification.

Busted

Three suspects were apprehended during a snap-checking near Power House Chowrangi within the limits of Khwaja Ajmair Nagri police station. The police said that the arrested culprits were identified as Noor Khan, Shahzad and Kashif. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2014.