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HYDERABAD, Feb 28: The Anti-Car Lifting Cell officials who acted in haste gunned down an estate agency owner (a former Sui Southern Gas Company employee) in Qasimabad area along with an alleged car snatcher late Thursday night.
An accomplice of the car hijacker was also injured in the ‘encounter’ within the jurisdiction of the Bhittai Nagar police station.
Inquiries by this correspondent revealed that the ACLC officials claimed to have been chasing a car (ABE-441) in the Qasimabad area after they were informed by one Muzaffar Khokhar that he had seen the accused, who had hijacked his car on Feb 18, in Gulistan-i-Sajjad, near the Ali Palace.
A team of ACLC officials, led by its in charge, Mehboob Sipyo, and accompanied by Muzaffar went in search of the occupants of the car.
Mr Sipyo claimed that the occupants of the car were intercepted near Mustafa Town where they not only accelerated the speed of the car but also opened fire on the police.
He said that the police opened fire in self-defence, killing two car hijackers, Hubdar Leghari and Manzoor Jatoi. An accomplice, Ghulam Shabbir Kalhoro, was injured. He was arrested and taken to the Civil Hospital.
None of the police officials was injured. The car was seized by ACLC officials.
Quoting Muzaffar Khokhar, the additional DPO, Hyderabad, Sharjil Kharal, told newsmen at the Civil Hospital late Thursday night that the occupants of the car (ABE-441) were, in fact, providing cover to the car hijackers, who had deprived Khokhar of his vehicle on Feb 18. Mr Kharal claimed that Mr Khokhar had also identified Mr Kalhoro as one of the car hijackers.
Hubdar Leghari, a resident of Mustafa Town, was the owner of the Sindhri Estate Agency, located on the Wadhu Wah Road. He has been associated with the business for the last 14 years.
Mr Kalhoro claimed that he was the first cousin of Manzoor Jatoi and they were going to Larkana. He said that they were dropping off Mr Leghari when the police opened fire on them.
CASES LODGED: The Bhittai Nagar police have lodged two separate cases on the complaint of Mehboob Sipyo.
One of the FIRs was lodged against the three accused under section 13-D of the Arms Ordinance whereas a separate case was registered under section 324, 353 PPC.
SIT-IN: The family members and relatives of Mr Leghari held a sit-in on the Nasim Nagar Mori on Friday night, demanding a judicial probe into the incident.
Chanting slogans against the police, the protesters said that the residents of the area would vouch for Mr Leghari’s reputation, and added that had he really
been a criminal such a large number of people would not have participated in his funeral.
The TPO, Qasimabad, Irshad Rajput, insisted that it was a real encounter. He, however, admitted that at present there was no criminal record against Mr Leghari.
