KARACHI: Four suspects were shot dead in two separate “encounters” in the metropolis on Thursday, police said.

The Anti-Vehicle Lifting Cell (AVLC) claimed to have killed two members of an inter-provincial car-lifting gang during an alleged encounter near Sohrab Goth.

An AVLC spokesperson said an exchange of fire between the suspects and police took place near Indus Plaza, resulting in the death of Farman Illahi alias Mani and Kashif Altaf alias Kashu.

Police recovered two pistols, cash and a car which had been stolen from the jurisdiction of the Ferozabad police.

The spokesperson said the deceased suspects were members of an inter-provincial gang involved in stealing vehicles in Karachi and selling them in Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He added that one of the suspects was wanted in more than two dozen criminal cases in Punjab.

According to the AVLC, Mani had been arrested three times in the past, most recently in 2024, while Kashif, a native of Lahore, had been involved in 22 criminal cases in Punjab since 2015.

Separately, two suspected robbers were shot dead in an alleged encounter in the New Karachi area.

New Karachi Industrial Area SHO Zahid Lodhi said an exchange of fire took place between Shaheen Force personnel and the suspects in Sector 11-F near Noorani Graveyard, resulting in the death of two suspects, who were identified as Shahzaib and Abdul Jabbar.

A spokesperson for the Central police said CCTV footage of the incident showed women, children and elderly people in the vicinity, but claimed that Shaheen Force personnel exercised caution while eliminating the suspected robbers.

Meanwhile, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar commended the law enforcers’ performance in both incidents.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2026