KARACHI: A suspected hitman was gunned down in what police described as an exchange of fire between them and his accomplices in Korangi Industrial Area just a day after he had been rearrested by the Pakistan Rangers, Sindh.

The suspects, however, managed to flee following the shootout in the early hours of Monday, the police said. The alleged hitman, Abdul Malik, 20, had escaped along with his accomplice Mohammad Imtiaz from police custody on Friday evening under mysterious circumstances after the killing of a police constable.

Initial investigations into their escape and the policeman’s murder led to the arrest of Korangi police Station Investigation Officer (SIO) Abdul Wasay whose pistol had been used in the crime. In the early hours of Sunday, the alleged hitman, Abdul Malik, who was said to be involved in drug business, was arrested again.

Landhi SP Arif Aslam told Dawn that a police team, led by Korangi DSP (Investigations) Raja Mehmoodul Hasan, took Malik along to trace the hideout of his accomplices near TCF godown in Korangi. They were conducting a raid when they came under attack, the officer said, adding that the held suspect was killed by the firing of his accomplices.

He said the armed suspects managed to flee following the brief encounter.

The body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for a post-mortem examination. Additional police surgeon Dr Kaleem Shaikh said the deceased sustained three gunshot wounds. All the three bullets pierced his body, he said, adding that the deceased was hit by bullets in the face, head and arm.

The Landhi SP said the deceased was involved in the targeted killing of policemen. Three days ago, he along with another suspected hitman, Imtiaz, had fled from police custody after the killing of a police constable, Rafiq, in a car ambush near Malir River. SIO Wasay who was taking them in his private car from an antiterrorism court to the Korangi police station remained unhurt in the attack. Initial investigations showed that the firing was carried out with his “missing” pistol from inside the car. The mysterious circumstances under which the suspected hitmen fled led to the arrest of the SIO.

Malik was rearrested from the Korangi area by the paramilitary force on tip off late Saturday night.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2016