KARACHI: A passer-by caught in the crossfire between a citizen and armed robbers who snatched Rs1 million and managed to escape in Gulshan-i-Iqbal on Monday.

Gulistan-i-Jauhar SHO Farooq Sanjrani said that Yasir Siddique drew cash from a private bank and was on his way home when armed motorcyclists, who apparently were chasing him, intercepted him in Block-11 at Phool Palace, held him at gunpoint, snatched Rs1m and other valuables from him.

As they were trying to escape, the robbery victim pulled out his pistol and fired at them. During an exchange of gunfire between the two sides, passer-by Noman Javed, 25, suffered a bullet wound.

The suspects managed to escape along with snatched Rs1 million. The injured was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), where his condition was stated to be out of danger.

The area SHO said it was being investigated as to whose bullet hit the passer-by.

Suspects, constable hurt in encounters

A suspected robber was shot at and wounded after a police ‘encounter’ near Ahsanabad off Superhighway on Monday.

SITE-Superhighway Industrial Area police said that after an exchange of firing, suspect Sahil Behlool, 45, was arrested in injured condition while his two accomplices managed to escape.

The police claimed to have recovered one TT pistol from his custody. He was shifted to the JPMC for treatment.

In another incident, two suspected robbers and one policeman were wounded in an encounter in North Nazimabad on Monday.

The police said the encounter took place at Block-H. Suspects Nadir, 25, and Salman, 25, were arrested in injured condition. Police Constable Hamza Khalid also got some minor injuries.

The police claimed to have recovered one 9mm pistol and one .30-bore pistol from the held suspects. The injured suspects and policeman were shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, a fire broke out in a factory in the SITE-Superhighway on Monday, according to police.

They added the blaze erupted in a motorcycle parts’ manufacturing factory. No one was hurt in the incident.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2022