HYDERABAD: Fort police have claimed to have killed the leader of a vehicle lifter gang late on Tuesday night. His teenage son was already shot dead in an alleged encounter in Kandhkot near Ghauspur late on Monday night.

In a press release on Wednesday, a police spokesman claimed that the gang leader identified as Farooq Ahmed alias Umar Shaikh, son of Amir Shaikh, was killed in the remit of Fort police station near Tyre Wali Gali. He said the suspect was injured in encounter but succumbed to his injuries.

A police party of Hyderabad had gone to Kandhkot to arrest Umar Shaikh in connection with the cases of snatching of expensive vehicles. The team included CIA DSP Iftikhar Buriro, SHOs of A-section police station Latifabad and Site police station.

According to SHO Naik M. Khoso, earlier on Monday night a police party conducted a raid at the house of Umar Shaikh, along with local police, where an encounter ensued which continued for 40 minutes in which Shaikhs’ son Rafiq was killed. He said the police had returned from there.

He said that Umar Shaikh also had a hideout in Hyderabad as well because he was leader of the infamous gang involved in Sindh-wide vehicles snatchings.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2025