KARACHI: A policeman was killed in an exchange of gunfire between armed drug peddlers and law enforcers in Malir on Friday morning.

Police said the law enforcement agency carried out a raid on a drug den in Sahib Dad Goth within the remit of the Saudabad police station at about 7.30am.

Seeing the police, the armed suspects opened fire and in an ensuing encounter, constable Bilal Husain, 50, was shot dead.

The suspects managed to escape.

The victim constable was a resident of the Quaidabad area. However, he originally hailed from Faisalabad and joined the force in 1998. He was posted at the Saudabad police station since 2014.

Inspector General of Police A.D. Khowaja took notice of the incident and directed the DIG East to submit a detailed report about the incident and the steps taken by the police.

Meanwhile, shopkeepers and traders of Malir’s Memon Goth area on Friday observed a shutter-down strike to lodge a protest against growing incidents of armed robberies in markets.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2017