KARACHI: Five policemen and their in-charge were suspended and arrested for shooting and killing two motorcyclists in Karachi's Bahadurabad area early Sunday morning, Senior Superintendent of Police East Syed Pir M Shah said on Sunday.

The motorcyclists, Danish and Ali, were shot dead by a patrol party of Bahadurabad police station at 2:15 am Sunday.

Police claim that the the victims, along with four others on three bikes, refused to stop at a police checkpoint near the Tipu Sultan signal.

The police opened fire on 20-year-old Danish and 22-year-old Ali, who were both killed on the spot. The police said they were killed by a single bullet.

According to the SSP East, the patrol party had earlier been tipped off about the alleged involvement of the motorcyclists in the looting of citizens on Shaheed-i-Millat Road.

The SSP has contacted the parents of the deceased, and will register a First Information Report (FIR) against the police officials involved on the request of the family.

Earlier this week, the brutal murder of 45 members from the Ismaili community prompted the civilian and military leadership into expanding operations to rid Karachi of crime and terror.

A high-level apex committee meeting chaired by the Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif on Thursday decided to implement effective policing and surveillance in the "vast suburbs of Karachi", to prevent what the military spokesperson said were "sneaking terrorist attacks".

At the meeting, Gen Sharif vowed to continue "across the board operations" at an increased pace and hunt down terrorists who commit heinous acts.

Military spokesman Asim Bajwa announced that the meeting had assessed ongoing operations against terrorists, and touched upon directing intelligence agencies to assist in the "exploitation of existing leads" in all operations.

A look at the Karachi operation

The ‘operation’ against criminal elements in Pakistan’s commercial hub was initiated back in September 2013 after the federal cabinet empowered Rangers to lead a targeted advance with the support of police against criminals already identified by federal military and civilian agencies for their alleged involvement in targeted killings, kidnappings for ransom, extortion and terrorism in Karachi.

At that time, Federal Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali had said that some of the cabinet decisions were not being made public because of their sensitivity, but they would be reflected through their implementation.

Explaining the decision to equip Rangers with the power of prosecution and investigation, the minister said Rangers had complained that people arrested for alleged involvement in crimes were freed after some time.

But in July 2014, in what was largely seen as an alignment with the military offensive in North Waziristan, the Rangers-led operation shifted its focus from hit men and extortionists to the more demanding threat from militants.

Know more: Zarb-i-Azb: Karachi operation sees tactical swing.

In a conversation with Dawn last year, DIG-South Abdul Khaliq Shaikh had acknowledged that the Karachi operation had been readjusted to tackle the militant threat.

When Rangers raided Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) headquarters in March 2015, the party alleged the operation had taken on a political colour. But Rangers claimed it had conducted the raid on a tip off that said wanted personnel were present at Nine Zero— the party’s headquarters.

Since then, Rangers DG Maj Gen Bilal Akbar and army chief Gen Raheel have insisted that the operation is not targeted at a particular political party and will meet its logical end.