KARACHI: Police on Sunday night claimed to have killed four suspects in an encounter in Dalmia area of the metropolis, said an official of Aziz Bhatti police station.

Acting on a tip off about presence of alleged gangsters linked with Lyari gang-war, contingents of police encircled the area in Dalmia where they came under attack, the official.

In the retaliatory fire, as claimed by the police, four suspects got killed, said Gulshan SP Dr. Fahad Ahmed.

Six grenades, one AK-47, one repeater and two pistols were recovered from the possession of suspects, the official said.

The ‘operation’ against criminal elements in the metropolis is undergoing since 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.

A high-level apex committee meeting chaired by the Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif on May 14, 2015 decided to implement effective policing and surveillance in the "vast suburbs of Karachi", to prevent what the military spokesperson said were "sneaking terrorist attacks".