Five cops stabbed by ‘mobsters’ in crackdown on encroachers

At least five police constables were injured by alleged mobsters during a crackdown on the encroachment mafia in the Gulbahar area on Wednesday. Police arrested three suspects in connection with the attack.

Officials said that in a letter the Karachi Development Authority’s (KDA) Anti-Encroachment Unit had marked some areas and pathways occupied by encroachers in District Central, adding that they sought help of the local police in carrying out an operation.

They said that on Wednesday the KDA’s anti-encroachment team was removing encroachments at Multi Chowk, Gulbahar, where shopkeepers protested and assaulted the police. Five police officials were stabbed during the incident, they added.

More force was called in later to tackle the “mobsters”. The injured cops were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where they are said to be in stable condition. The injured constables were identified as Arsalan Ahmed, Iqbal Hussain, Qasim, Hamza and Bashir Ahmed. They had suffered injuries to their upper torsos, mostly in their arms.

Officials said the Gulbahar police arrested three suspects, who were later identified as Kashif, Shahrukh and Bilal. They said the suspects had stabbed the cops with knives, which have also been seized.

Earlier, the Sindh Local Government Department had also ordered the removal of encroachments from all the roads of Karachi and requested the local police for assistance.

A letter issued for the purpose reads: “Your good self is well aware that as provided under Schedule-II, Part-I (13) of the Sindh Local Government Act, 2013, the work of removal of encroachment, including recovery from pertaining heads from all over Karachi city within KMC limits (internal and external roads, except land owned by the cantonment boards), is the mandate of the Anti-Encroachment Department, KMC.

“The previous district administration as well as the newly elected chairmen ofTMCs were time and again intimated and requested to kindly restrain from interfering in the official duties of the Anti-Encroachment Department, KMC, but it is regretfully apprised to your good self that the officers and officials of various TMCs are violating the Sindh Local Government Act, 2013, continuously and creating hurdles in the official work of the Anti-Encroachment Department, KMC, which is causing great financial loss to the KMC exchequer.

“In order to avoid deviation from the ibid rules, you are requested to issue strict directives to the officers and officials concerned of your establishment not to interfere in the official work of the Anti-Encroachment Department, KMC, being a statuary domain of the KMC, defined under Schedule-V, Part-I of the Sindh Local Government Act, 2013, and restrain from unnecessary correspondence in this regard.”