KARACHI, Feb 10: An excise police raid on the suspected hideout of drug dealers in Shirin Jinnah Colony on Friday turned into a fierce gun battle between the two sides that ultimately forced the armed officials to flee and abandon their only vehicle that was later set on fire, officials said.

They added that the officials of the Sindh excise police came under attack when they raided the hideout. They returned fire.

“The firing lasted for nearly an hour,” said Ghulam Nabi Shah, the ETO west.

“Unfortunately we consumed all our rounds in the exchange. The raiding party had to leave the area on foot as the firing had burst the vehicle’s tyres.”

The official said he only came to know about the fate of the vehicle (CF-9907) after returning to his office. The authorities were now planning a ‘major action’, he added.