KARACHI, Aug 30: Three people, including two brothers, were killed at a den of drug peddlers in what police described as a clash between criminal gangs in the Khokhrapar area of Malir late Thursday night.

However, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz claimed that the three men were activists of the party and not criminals.

Earlier during the day, at least four men were killed in different parts of the city.

Following the Malir shooting, tension gripped the Khokhrapar area where eateries and shops were closed.

While the police were not certain about the number of attackers and the mode of transport they used, they said all the three victims were rushed to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre where two of them were pronounced dead on arrival while the other died duringtreatment.

The three men — identified as Mohammad Aslam, 45, Mohammad Anwar, 40, and Nadeem, 30 — were criminals and booked in several cases, said SP Shah Faisal Latif Siddiqi.

The two brothers, Aslam and Anwar, used to run the den in D-1 Area of Khokhrapar No 4 while Nadeem was a caretaker, said Sub-Divisional Police Officer Fakhrul Islam.

“They were essentially criminals and Haji Aslam was wanted in at least five cases by the Khokhrapar police,” DSP Islam added.

However, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz Karachi President Elahi Bakhsh Bikak claimed that the three men were JSQM activists. He said that they were not involved in the drug peddling business. Haji Aslam was a former Khokharapar unit in charge of the party’s organisational structure, he confirmed to Dawn.

Man found shot dead

Earlier, a young man said to be associated with a Lyari gang was found shot dead in the old city area, police said.

A gunny bag containing his body was found near Crown Cinema close to Darwesh hotel within the remit of the Kalri police station.

The body bore torture marks along with gunshot wounds in the head and chest, said a police official.

He added that the victim had been kidnapped and subjected to severe torture before being shot dead. The police did not find any spent bullet casing at the spot, making them believe that he was killed somewhere else and his body was dumped by the roadside.

They shifted the body to the Civil Hospital Karachi for medico-legal formalities.

The victim was later identified as Akram Baloch, 27, a resident of Pak Colony, Jehanabad area.

Kalri SHO Khan Niazi suspected that Lyari gangsters had killed the victim who was believed to have links with the Arshad Pappu group.

Body found

Another body stuffed in a gunny bag was spotted near Jubilee Cloth Market, said police.

They quoted area people as saying that the body was thrown from a moving rickshaw at Chand Mor within the remit of the Nabi Bukhsh police station.

The body bearing torture marks and bullet wounds was taken to the Civil Hospital Karachi for medico-legal formalities following which it was shifted to the Edhi morgue for want of identification.

Washerman shot dead

Earlier, a washerman was killed in Mianwali Colony near the Dhobi Ghat bridge within the remit of the Pak Colony police station.

The police quoted eyewitnesses saying that Shamim, 42, aka Nanha attempted to escape on seeing armed men who after a brief chase fired at him and fled.

The victim was rushed to the Civil Hospital Karachi where he died during treatment, the police added.

They said that the victim was elder brother of an activist of Mutthaida Qaumi Movement Unit 32, Naseem.

ASI killed

An assistant sub-inspector was killed within the remit of the Mithadar police station on Thursday.

ASI Gul Zeb was shot at and wounded after he spotted two suspicious-looking men riding a motorbike on a link road between I.I. Chundrigar Road and Queens Road and challenged them, said ASP Ali Asif.

The wounded ASI was rushed to the Civil Hospital Karachi where he was pronounced dead.

The slain police officer was posted at the Mithadar police station and hailed from Haripur.

DawnNews reporter wounded

A reporter of DawnNews channel was wounded while resisting a robbery attempt in Gulistan-i-Jauhar on Thursday night.

Police said that armed men intercepted Zunaib Moeen near a private hospital and deprived him of his valuables, including a cellphone and wallet. They shot at the reporter while fleeing, the police said, adding that he sustained a gunshot wound to his shoulder.

He was rushed to the nearby private hospital for treatment. Later, he was shifted to another private hospital on Stadium Road.