KARACHI: Four suspected gangsters were shot dead on Sunday in two separate alleged encounters in Lyari, which triggered reaction by alleged gangsters, who hurled three hand-grenades in different parts of the area, wounding eight people, officials said.

They added that Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, had carried out a targeted operation against gangsters in the general area of Bihar Colony in Lyari on Sunday morning where an alleged encounter took place between the Rangers and suspects.

“When the latter resorted to indiscriminate firing, Rangers personnel returned fire, killing two suspects of Lyari gang warfare,” said a spokesperson for the paramilitary force.

The dead men were identified as Sohail, alias Khof, and Shahryar, alias Sherry, who were linked with the Baba Ladla group. “The individuals had been involved in numerous murders, group murders, robberies and extortion since 2011,” said the official. Weapons were also seized from them.

Hours later, alleged gangsters attacked a shop with a hand-grenade on Al-Falah Road.

Two other hand-grenade attacks also took place in the Kalakot area. These ‘grenade or cracker’ attacks were in reaction to the killing of the gangsters in which eight people were wounded, said City SSP Fida Hussain. Six of them were discharged after first medical aid but the other two persons received serious injuries, added the officer.

Following the attacks, police and Rangers increased patrolling in parts of Lyari during which an alleged encounter took place with suspects in the Nawalane area of Kalakot. During the exchange of fire, two more suspects were killed. The dead men were identified as Mukhtiar and Arif, alias Mama Punjabi.

“They were linked with the Uzair Baloch group,” said the City SSP. He said Mukhtiar was the ringleader of the Uzair Baloch gang after the killing of Maab Baloch in a recent encounter.

They were wanted in armed attacks on armoured personnel carrier in which two policemen were wounded. They were also allegedly involved in the killing of a police officer who was serving in Bahrain.

A rifle, a pistol and a hand-grenade were seized from their custody, said Kalakot SHO Haji Sanaullah.

Some of the persons wounded in the grenade attacks were identified as Asad Rafiq, 18, Attaullah, 15, Hanif Abbas, 22, Aurangzeb, 30, Imran Riaz, 30, Faisal Arif, 18 and Siraj Mohammed, 30.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2015

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