26 September 2004	Sunday	10 Shaban 1425

KARACHI, Sept 25: The police on Saturday foiled an attempt of a bank robbery, and shot dead a robber, arrested three of his accomplices and recovered weapons from them. Three policemen were also injured in the encounter.

TPO Sanaullah Abbasi told Dawn that five robbers reached the MCB branch in Shireen Jinnah Colony. They snatched a rifle from police guard and a repeater from the bank guard. In the meantime, someone informed the Madadgar-15 and bank alarm was also sounded. The robbers got panicky and sped away in a car. As the police reached the spot and chased the car, the robbers intercepted a passenger coach near Sindbad and held its occupants hostage.

TPO Clifton Munir Shaikh said Darakshan police mobile also reached the spot and a shootout ensued between the police and robbers when they tried to run away, leaving the coach at Neelam Colony. During the shootout, a robber, identified as Ali Ahmed, was killed, and his accomplice Javed Ahmed was wounded and arrested. Two of their other accomplices, Zulfiqar and Jamil Ahmed, were also nabbed. Their another accomplice Javed absconded.

DSP Clifton Irshad Ali said that three policemen of the Darakhshan police station suffered bullet wounds and were shifted to JPMC. They were identified as ASI Abdul Rauf, constable Ameen, and mobile van driver Tariq Mirza. He said a rifle, two repeater guns, two TT pistols and the car were recovered from them.

Chief Minister Arbab Rahim visited the hospital and announced Rs0.3 million each for the injured policemen. The IGP also announced promotion of the policemen to the next rank.

MURDER: A man was shot dead in his home in Gulbahar on Saturday. Police said Hashim alias Hashoo, 40, kidnapped a girl and married her. As Hashim was involved in kidnapping for ransom cases besides other criminal activities, the girl's brothers - Mumtaz Brohi and Imdad Brohi - traced him in Mureed Goth and shot him dead for kidnapping their sister.

Police shifted the body to a hospital for autopsy and registered a case against the two alleged killers.

ARRESTS: Fifteen policemen were arrested on Saturday for allegedly pilfering petrol from a petrol station in Garden police headquarters. The policemen were posted at the petrol station and they allegedly embezzled Rs19.2 million during the past three months.

Police said a head constable Shamrez Khan was picked up by the Saeedabad police for selling petrol illegally. A case was registered against him and the investigation was started. During interrogation, he told the investigators that he sold petrol in connivance with the in-charge of the petrol station.

The investigators raided the police lines and arrested Inspector Malik Mohammad Jehangir and his accomplice ASI Raees Iqbal. They told the police that they were involved in the pilferage for the past many months. On their lead, the police picked up their 12 other accomplices, including head constables Pervez Ahmed, Abdul Rehman and Zafar Iqbal and constables Arif Bangash, Saleem, Zafar, Aurangzeb, Tahir Shah, Mohammad Baqi, Ashfaq Ahmed and Mohammad Shahzad.