KARACHI: A suspected gangster accused of firing shots at a shopping centre to demand protection money was gunned down in an alleged encounter in the Malir area, police said on Sunday.

The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) identified the suspect as Ghulam Qadeer and said that he had demanded Rs50 million from the management of the shopping mall.

SIU SSP Amjad Sheikh said that acting on a tip-off the police carried out a raid on the city outskirts late on Saturday night to arrest criminals. However, they opened fire on the police and in an ensuing exchange of gunfire, one of the suspects was killed, he added.

He said that a cell phone and a pistol were recovered from him. The body was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for medico-legal formalities.

The police said that on Sept 29 four suspects riding on two motorbikes emerged at the Jillani Shopping Centre in Malir City and resorted to indiscriminate firing. Later, a mall official got a WhatsApp call and the caller demanded Rs50m as extortion and warned of dire consequences if their demand was not fulfilled within a week.

Young man found shot dead

A young man was found shot dead on the outskirts of the city on Sunday, police and rescue services officials said.

They said that the body of the unidentified youth was found from bushes off Superhighway.

SITE-Superhighway Industrial Area police SHO Wilayat Shah said it appeared that the man was shot someplace else and the body was thrown here as no spent bullet casing was recovered from the spot.

The body was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal formalities.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2025