KARACHI, Jan 26: A midnight car chase on Wednesday involving a team of the Crime Investigation Department and suspected arms suppliers near Toll Plaza on the Superhighway ended in an exchange of fire between the two sides leaving a woman and a police informer dead. A head constable was injured in the incident, officials said.

They claimed that the woman was a relative of the suspects, who presumably took her along to avoid checking of their vehicle by any law-enforcement agency personnel on their way into the city.

SP Aslam Khan of the CID said the police team arrested one of the injured suspects after the encounter.

“Acting on a tip-off, our team was positioned  near Toll Plaza on the Superhighway,” he told a press conference, adding: “We received the information that two cars carrying arms from the tribal areas were heading towards the city. When the cars came close to the position, they were signalled to stop. However, occupants of one of the cars instead opened fire on the policemen and drivers of both the vehicles tried to speed away.”

He said head constable Younus and police informer Sabir Ali were wounded in the firing. Sabir later succumbed to his wounds. The other members of the team chased the two cars that led to an exchange of fire. One of the suspects’ vehicles came to a halt when its tyres burst, he said.

“We caught an injured man after getting him out of the car, bearing the registration number V-3199, and a woman who had sustained bullet wounds and died,” the SP said, adding that the injured suspect was later identified as Akhtar Zarin, who was formally arrested and provided medical treatment in police custody.The official said the woman, Gulshan Bibi, happened to be Zarin’s relative and was believed to be facilitating the transportation of the arms consignment from the tribal areas to Karachi. “Investigators have found her involved in several such episodes in the past,” he added.

“The suspects deal in arms and are engaged in arms supplies to various criminal gangs and militant outfits in Karachi. Initial investigations made us believe that the woman help them in the illegal business as her presence in the vehicle might have helped them get through police posts without checking.”

“All the suspects involved in this episode hail from the tribal areas,” said SP Khan.

He said the police seized six AK-47 assault rifles, eight TT pistols and 3,000 live rounds concealed in the trunk of the car as well as a big quantity of fine quality hashish.

“The suspect taken in custody was arrested by the Sohrab Goth police last year for possessing illegal arms. He was later released on bail. The registration number of the other car could not be noted down. However, initial findings gave us some hints that could help trace the suspects on the run,” he said.