HYDERABAD, July 11: Officials of the Anti-Burglary Cell and Anti-Car Lifting Cell on Friday claimed to have gunned down a dacoit, Mumtaz Chandio in the jurisdiction of the Husri police station, near Habib Farm.

The TPO, Hyderabad Taluka, Ali Sher Jakhrani, told newsmen at the women’s police station that the encounter took place at 7:45am, near the Habib Farm Chowk, when Mahboob Sipyo, the in charge, Anti-Car Lifting Cell, and Zulfiqar Arain, the in charge, Anti-Burglary Cell, tried to intercept a car following a message that Mumtaz Chandio was in the same vicinity.

He said that when police tried to stop the car, the latter’s occupants opened fire upon the former. Police retaliated, causing injuries to one of the occupants, whereas the remaining two fled immediately.

He said that the injured, who was in fact killed in the firing, was identified as Mumtaz Chandio.

He said that the two others co-accused remained unidentified, and added that the police mobile of the Anti-Car Lifting Cell bore bullet marks.

According to the TPO, eight dacoits have so far surrendered to the police, and their cases were being scrutinized.

The district police officer, Hyderabad, A. D. Khwaja, who was also present at the press conference, disclosed similar details of the incident. He said that Chandio was involved in the kidnappings of Vinod Kumar and Rehan Sheikh, Rustam Supariwala of Karachi, Anees Memon and 50 cases of car snatching, murders, dacoities, etc.

He said the cases were registered at different police stations of Sindh.

He said that the car being driven by Mumtaz Chandio had been snatched in the Jamshed Quarters area of Karachi. It bore the number plate ACQ-235. The Hyderabad police had recommended Rs1 million as head money on Chandio as he had become a notorious dacoit. The National Identity Card of Chandio, a telephone directory, a TT pistol and some live bullets were found in his possession.

The DPO, Hyderabad, announced a reward of Rs50,000 for Zulfiqar Arain and Mahboob Sipyo. The latter is facing a judicial probe by the sessions judge, Hyderabad, for the killing of Hubdar Leghari in Bhittai Nagar on February 27.

It may be pointed out here that on June 6, the DPO had issued a warning to the gang of Mumtaz Chandio to surrender to the police within 48 hours; otherwise serious action would be taken against them by launching an operation.

The DPO denied that Dr Mumtaz Chandio, the brother of another accused, Shoaib Chandio, who were believed to be accomplices of Mumtaz Chandio, were in the custody of the Hyderabad police. Mumtaz and Shoaib were picked up from Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Karachi, in May but not shown arrested.