KARACHI: Police on Tuesday claimed to have killed two members of a gang, which used to loot international airline passengers, in an encounter in Gulshan-i-Jamal on complaint of a robbery victim while the suspects’ third alleged accomplice was arrested in wounded condition.

Addressing a press conference, Karachi police chief Additional Inspector General Javed Odho described it as an ‘Iranian gang’ as its members spoke the Dari language though they belong to Afghanistan and some locals were also its members.

Sharing details, he said that an encounter took place between police and alleged robbers near Millennium Mall early in the morning where after an exchange of gunfire, two alleged robbers Jasim, 21, and Yaseen, 25, were gunned down while third suspect Ali Amjad, 22, was arrested in wounded condition and their fourth accomplice Arif escaped.

The dead and injured were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities.

City police chief concedes upsurge in crimes; says law-enforcers are now in ‘pro-active mode’

The police recovered three TT pistols, one laptop and one civic car.

At the press conference, the robbery victim, Ali, told the media that his maternal nephew along with his family had arrived from Istanbul on Tuesday. They came out from airport at 4am and were on their way to home in Scheme-33 when four armed robbers intercepted them from wrong side. They used abusive language and beat them and fled after snatching cash and other valuables.

However, the robbers did not snatch his cell phone. He quickly informed Madadgar-15 and the Gulshan SP took its notice. The citizen said within 15 minutes he received a call from Aziz Bhatti SHO Adeel informing him that two suspects had been killed while the third one was held. He was asked to come and identify them near Millennium Mall.

He said he identified the robbers.

The police chief said Ali had told the police that dacoits in the silver Honda Civic looted his three bags, Rs15,000 and $800 at DUHS near Mosmiyat.

The officer said a picket was set up to intercept the suspects and when an approaching car was signalled to stop at NIPA, they opened indiscriminate fire on police and sped away.

The police went after them and during hot pursuit the encounter took place in which two dacoits were killed, third one was held while the fourth one escaped. The recovered car bore a fake number plate, he added.

Suspect Jasim, an undertrial, was a resident of Metroville in Banaras and six criminal cases were registered against him in Gulberg, Gulistan Jauhar, Jauharabad, Malir Cantt, Nazimabad and Shahrah Noorjehan in 2021, the police chief added.

He got bail in five cases while in sixth case he was acquitted.

The police chief clarified that recently a clip went viral on social media that international passengers were unsafe, but it was six months old incident in which the suspects were also taken to task.

He regretted that some suspects got bail and indulged again in crimes. He admitted that there was an upsurge in crimes, but the police were now in ‘pro-active mode’.

He said a suspect wounded in an encounter in Gulshan on Monday was arrested when he attempted to get treatment from a hospital on Tuesday.

He said this gang was involved in seven heinous crimes and further investigation was under way.

The Mobina Town police registered an FIR under Section 395 against the gang members.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2022