LARKANA: While heirs of an encounter victim, Talib Bosan, pressed ahead to demand action against police over his ‘custodial death’, a case has been registered on behalf of the state at Keti Mumtaz police station.

The complainant, SHO Gul Hassan Brohi of the police station, insisted that Bosan was a notorious criminal and had sustained a fatal shot fired by his associates during and encoun­ter between a gang of criminals and police.

The SHO has booked six gangsters — Shah Nawaz alias Shaho Narejo, Talib Bosan, Waseer Jeho, Maula Bakhsh Sehwani Jakhrani, Haider Khoso and one unknown suspect — vide crime No. 26/2025.

Bosan’s family and relatives, while claiming his body, kept insisting that he was arrested and killed in custody six days ago by the Waris Dino Machhi police from Ratodero city. They said that there was no truth in the police claim of his presence at the alleged encounter site on Saturday (Sept 27).

According to the FIR, the police team led by SHO Brohi had received secret information that a wanted suspect, Shah Nawaz Narejo, was moving with his associates from the main (settled) area towards the riverine (katcha) area. When the team reached near the spurs of a dyke at Ghulam Ali Shaikh village and got down from their mobile van, Narejo and his associates appeared there. “They were asked to surrender before police, but they opened direct fire, which was returned by the police,” the FIR said, adding that the shootout lasted about 20 minutes.

“During the encounter, a voice was heard from the criminals’ side saying: “Stop firing, one of your bullets has hit me,” the SHO stated in the FIR.

He said that as the police advanced, the suspects fled the spot leaving one of their associates, later identified as Talib Hussain, 35/36, son of Himmat Ali aka Shafi Mohammed Bosan, behind. He was found lying dead and a Kalashnikov-type rifle was lying beside his body.

The body was transported by the police to the Naudero Hospital for medico-legal formalities, the FIR said.

The number on Kalashnikov was erased and loaded with one bullet while three live bullets were present in magazine.

ASI Muhktiar Ahmed Jokhyo of the Ketti Mumtaz police station has been entrusted with the investigation of the case.

According to the police, Bosan, a resident of Wada Bosan, was a most-wanted suspect who had been absconding in multiple cases of murder, robbery, terrorism, dacoity and police encounters. More than 20 cases were registered against him at various police stations of Jacobabad, Shikarpur and Larkana districts.

Bosan’s parents, however, claimed that he was arrested six days back returning home from a court in Ratodero. They said he had been on bail in four cases.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2025