HYDERABAD: Police claimed to have killed four “dacoits” in two encounters that took place in Hyderabad on Saturday and Mirpurkhas late on Friday evening.

Hyderabad SSP Irfan Ali Baloch told the media that two robbers were gunned down in an encounter at Latifabad Unit-9 within the remit of the B-Section police station. One of them carried a head-money of Rs500,000, he added.

He said a gang of five armed men broke into the house of a transport operator Haji Mohammed Rafique in the locality. Police received a call made by his neighbour and rushed to the house. The gang tried to escape on two motorbikes they had parked outside, the SSP said. The robbers were challenged and in the ensuing gun battle, two of them were shot dead, he said. B-Section SHO Nek Mohammad Khoso identified the dead robbers as Deedar Jalbani, who carried a head-money of Rs500,000, and Yaqoob Qureshi.

Earlier, Mirpurkhas police claimed to have shot dead two dacoits in an encounter near Khaan town late on Friday night.

They said Din Mohammed Marri and his brother Wahid Marri carried a head-money of Rs1 million and Rs500,000, respectively.

Khairpur SSP Masood Bungash told the media at the Mirpurkhas SSP office that the dacoits were challenged when they were travelling in car along with three other persons. He said the car occupants fired on the police team which was returned and as a result, two of them were killed. Their companions, however, managed to escape, he said.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2015

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