KARACHI: Gunmen linked with Lyari gangsters stormed into an alleged drug den in Pak Colony on Sunday evening and opened indiscriminate fire, killing a young man and wounding five others, officials said.

They said the drug den was located in a congested neighbourhood, Kala Gate, in Old Golimar along the Lyari river. A few people, apparently came there to buy drugs, were present when the armed men stormed the place, they added.

SSP-West Nasir Aftab told Dawn that the attackers belonged to the Arshad Pappu gang, which was being run by his nephew Bilal after his death, while the drug den was run by a rival group led by Riasat, who is associated with a Lyari gang and currently languishing in prison.

The SSP said some five men were present at the den when the attackers came from Rizvia Society side after crossing a storm-water drain. They opened indiscriminate firing on the person selling heroin and the people purchasing the drugs and fled.

The wounded were taken to the Civil Hospital Karachi, where one of them died, and the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for treatment.

Senior medico-legal officer at the CHK Dr Mubarak Pathan told Dawn that one of the wounded was brought dead to the health facility, whose identification could not be ascertained immediately. He suffered a bullet wound in the chest.

The condition of two of the victims was said to be critical as they also sustained bullet wounds in the chest.

Two of the wounded persons were identified as 18-year old Mushtaq and 26-year old Mohammed Umer.

The MLO said it appeared that the deceased and the wounded were drug addicts.

SSP-West Aftab said that apparently the attack by the Arshad Pappu gang was a move to control the drug trade in the neighbourhood.

He was asked as to why the gang warfare erupted again despite the leaders of three Lyari gangs — Pappu, Noor Muhammad alias Baba Ladla and Uzair Baloch — were either killed or arrested during the targeted operation in Karachi, which has been going on for the past three years.

The SSP replied that the narrow lanes in the area where the incident occurred were almost inaccessible and the criminals were getting advantage of the fact that police patrolling was not possible there.

He said that the Pak Colony SHO and Rangers officials did not go there in their vehicles and they had to abandon their mobile vans and walked towards the area to take stock of the situation.

Apart from inaccessibility factor, the criminals were also taking advantage of the issue of police jurisdiction as the area fell within the remit of two or three police stations.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2017