Exchange of fire: Three more ‘gangsters’ killed in Lyari

Nine other suspects were taken into custody during search operation in Korangi.

KARACHI: Three more alleged gangsters were killed in an alleged encounter with the police during an overnight raid in Lyari while nine other suspects, including alleged target killers, were apprehended following a midnight targeted search operation in Korangi.

Three members of a Lyari-based gang were killed during an alleged encounter with the police in Kalri when the police, acting on information, conducted a raid at the hideout of the gangsters.

Police officials said that the gangsters resorted to indiscriminate fire on the police in an attempt to escape. The police retaliated and after an exchange of fire, they killed three gangsters. Police officials also claim to have recovered hand grenades and weapons from their possession.

The bodies were taken to Civil Hospital, Karachi, for autopsies, where they were identified as Sikandar alias Sikhu, Sameer alias Sammu and Jahangir alias Jhengu. The bodies were later handed over to their families for burial. Police officials claimed the deceased gangsters belonged to the Uzair Baloch group and were wanted by the police in a number of criminal cases.

Meanwhile, the family of Sikandar protested outside the Kalri police station against his killing. According to them, he was a rickshaw driver who had been picked up by the police. They claimed that the police said, at that time, that he was being taken for interrogation but later killed him.

Separately, two other alleged members of a Lyari-based gang were arrested during an encounter with the police in Lyari. They were identified as Hashim and Akbar. SHO Safdar Mashwani said they were members of the Baba Ladla group and were wanted in various cases of crime.

Arrests

Meanwhile, Korangi district police claim to have arrested nine suspects including alleged target killers during an overnight targeted search operation in parts of Korangi including Zaman Town, Sharafi Goth, Model Colony, Saudabad, Landhi and Khokhrapar.

The arrested were identified as Saeed, Imtiaz, Arshad Sagheer, Hammad, Dilawar, Yasir Ali, Babar, Rafiq Hussain and Irfan. Their arrests were disclosed at a press conference held by Korangi district SSP Junaid Shaikh at his office. He told the media that Saeed and Imtiaz had been involved in more than 10 cases of target killings while the remaining suspects had been involved in other cases of crime such as robberies, street crime and kidnapping. He added that the cases against the arrested suspects have been registered while further investigations are underway.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2015.