KARACHI: Two suspects were shot dead in an alleged encounter in the Defence Housing Authority while a passerby was also wounded on Thursday, police officials said.

The suspects snatched a car at Punjab Chowrangi and a police party chased them, Clifton SP Abadit Nisar said. The policemen intercepted the car on the National Highway, better known as Korangi Road, near the Gold Mark shopping centre. The suspects opened fire on them in an attempt to escape and in retaliatory firing, two suspects were gunned down, added the officer.

He identified one of the two dead as Umaid Siddiq, 28, said to be a resident of Hub in Balochistan. The identity of the other could not be ascertained immediately.

A passerby, Shakeel, was also wounded during the exchange of fire. He sustained bullet wounds in the head and was admitted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. The bodies were also shifted to the JPMC.

Meanwhile, Defence SHO Kansan Dean said the third accomplice escaped.

The police claimed to have seized weapons and the hijacked Toyota Corolla from the suspects.

The additional inspector general of Karachi police, Ghulam Qadir Thebo, announced a Rs100,000 reward for the police party.

Young man found shot dead in Maripur

A man was found shot dead in the Mauripur area on Thursday, police said.

They added that the body of the man in his mid-20s was found beside a storm drain in Sahafi Colony. A single bullet was fired in his chest, said Mauripur SHO Chaudhry Saleem.

The body was taken to the Edhi morgue for want of identification after a post-mortem examination was conducted at the Civil Hospital Karachi.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2014