LARKANA: Larkana police claimed to have killed two criminals after an encounter at Khakhrani bypass near Haider Shah jo Laro locality early on Thursday morning.

Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Mohammed Imran Khan told Dawn that Sub-Inspector Rahim Bakhsh Mugheri led the police party, which engaged the suspects and killed them after exchange of firing. They were later identified as Irfan aka Abdul Majeed Shaikh, a resident of Mumtaz Colony, and Mujeebur Rehman Khoso of Loung Khoso village in Mehar taluka.

He said that police found two pistols on the bodies and a snatched motorcycle. The suspects were hardened criminals and their record so far gathered indicated that they mainly operated in Karachi, Nawabshah, Larkana, Khairpur Mir’s and other districts of Sindh, he said.

The bodies were shifted to Chandka Medical College Hospital’s mortuary and were later collected by their relatives, said the SSP.

Initial investigations showed that 12 cases were registered against Abdul Majeed Shaikh at Baradi Jatoi police station, Khairpur; airport police station, Nawabshah; Dari police station, Dari; Haidri police station in Larkana and other police stations across Sindh, said a spokesman for police. Nine cases were registered against Mujeebur Rehman Khoso at Steel Town and Shah Latif police stations in Karachi and Baqapur and taluka police stations in Larkana, he said.

Majority of the cases against the suspects were registered at Steel Town and Shah Latif police stations in Karachi, said the spokesman. Further record of the suspected bandits was being traced while a case of encounter with police was registered with Taluka police station.

Families reject police claim

Disputing police claim that Irfan Shaikh was a bandit and was killed in the encounter, the relatives of the deceased demonstrated outside press club placing his dead body before them on Thursday.

Saleem Shaikh, Ashique Shaikh, brothers of the deceased; Meeral Shaikh, uncle, and others rejected the police claim and said Irfan was killed in a staged encounter as police picked him up four days back while he was travelling to Karachi from Larkana.

If, according to police, he was wanted in a host of cases, he should have been produced in a court of law, they said.They said that another of their relative Imran Shaikh was arrested three days ago in Shah Baharo Colony and they feared he too might be killed in a staged encounter.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2023