THATTA, April 27: Notorious bandit Abdul Ghaffar Abbasi carrying Rs1 million head money, a police informer and an inspector leading the regional anti-dacoit police party from Jamshoro district, Mushtaq Dal, were killed in an encounter in ‘Pinah’ forest, 70 kilometres off Thatta on Thursday morning.

However, police and eyewitness narrated two different versions. The police insisted that it was an encounter while independent sources claimed that Abbasi, a teacher-turned bandit, was arrested alive and shot dead late on Wednesday.

Sources revealed that a police party led by the District Police Officer (DPO) of Jamshoro, Pir Farid Jan Sarhandi, and Inspector Dal, on a tip-off about the presence of Abdul Ghaffar Abbasi in their jurisdiction, started chasing him.

Abbasi, along with half a dozen of his accomplices, managed to cross over to the thick woods of Kot Aalmoo in Thatta district.

The police party from Jamshoro was called for police pickets by the DPO of Thatta.

The DPO of Thatta, Ghulam Hyder Jamali, immediately rushed with a heavy contingent of police into the Pinnah forest and traced the bandits hideout much before the arrival of Jamshoro police near Ismail Jokhio Village.

Meanwhile, Jamshoro police also joined Thatta police.

The police, after laying siege to the village, warned the residents on megaphone to come out. Only a few women and children responded to the call.

The police then opened fire at the outer-yard fences of the village.

After a brief encounter bandit Abdul Ghaffar Abbasi and a villager Aziz Soomro, said to be a police informer, and Inspector Mushtaq Dal were killed while the rest of the Abbasi’s accomplices fled. The bodies were taken to Sujawal for autopsy. Abdul Ghaffar Abbasi had remained a primary school teacher in the Khamiso Chang Village located in Khadi forest area in Thatta district for many years. He developed terms with Ali Khoso, a notorious bandit operating in dense forests of Thatta, and became a dreaded bandit after the death of Ali Khoso.