KARACHI: A suspected gangster and younger brother of Ghaffar Zikri — the alleged ringleader of one of the gangs operating in Lyari — was killed in an encounter with police on Tuesday, an official said.

He said the Garden police during routine snap-checking in the early hours of the day spotted a suspicious motorcyclist on Mirza Adam Khan Road, but when they tried to stop him, he fired shots which left a police constable named Mohammed Ali wounded.

“The police party retaliated and after a brief exchange of gunfire, the armed rider was killed,” said Inspector Ghulam Nabi Afridi, the SHO of the Garden police station.

“The police recovered a pistol and several rounds from his possession, but couldn’t find anything which could have proved his identity. Finally, after medico-legal formalities at the Civil Hospital Karachi, the body was taken to the Edhi morgue for want of identification.”

Later in the evening, he said, the family of the deceased approached the police and identified him as Aftab Zikri, a younger brother of Ghaffar Zikri. The body was handed over to the family after formalities.

“The deceased was wanted in more than two dozen cases ranging from extortion to murder and kidnapping for ransom to street crimes. He was an active member of his gang when the gang warfare between rival groups was at its peak between 2009 and 2012,” added the SHO.

“He left the city after the launch of Rangers-led operation in September 2013. We believe he [must] have returned to the city not long ago.”

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2017