KARACHI, Aug 17: Three members of a family, including a 10-year-old boy and a teenage girl, were killed in hand grenade and rocket attacks when violence broke out in parts of Lyari on Wednesday following the killing of five youngsters in the early hours of the day, police said.

The officials added that some armed men on motorbikes and others on four-wheelers attacked Bheempura, Salaar Compound and Hindu Para areas with hand grenades and rockets, which was followed by intense firing.

Residents said the incident sparked hardly an hour before the sunset when the protests broke out. “A number of area people marched to the CM’s House in the evening in protest against the kidnapping and killing of five area youngsters,” said an official at the Napier police station.

“In the meantime, a number of armed men emerged in this part of the town. They hurled hand grenades from the moving bikes and fired rockets as well.”

In one of the attacks, 10-year-old Dheeraj, 16-year-old Oosha and an elderly man were killed.

The area police said the victims were from the same family and residents of Hindu Para in old city area.

The officials said that nine hand grenades were hurled and two rockets fired in almost an hour-long episode that sowed fear in the thickly-populated neighborhood.

“The rockets and hand grenades also hit some vehicles parked on the main road. A car bearing registration number ATM-802, a motorcycle and a CNG-fitted rickshaw were damaged badly,” added the official.

The police authorities saw the incident as a part of the violence that erupted in Lyari after the killing of the five youngsters and that also claimed the life of a former MNA and once an active leader of the PPP Ahmed Karimdad, better known as Waja Karimdad, and his friend.

They said ‘criminal gangs’ were behind the gun battle.

“We have cordoned off the affected areas and increased police patrolling,” said DIG (south) Shaukat Shah.

“A strategy is being devised to trace and arrest the culprits behind this wave of violence.”