Former Lyari gang leader Rehman Dakait’s son killed in police encounter

Sarban Baloch, the eldest son and successor of the slain Lyari gang war kingpin Abdul Rehman Baloch, alias Rehman Dakait, was killed on Monday during an alleged encounter with the police. He was 25 years old.

The encounter reportedly took place in the early hours of the Monday in the Old City area within the limits of the Nabi Buksh police station.

Sarban’s accomplice was also captured in an injured state after the shootout. Throughout history, various gangsters have wielded influence in Lyari, and Sarban was one of them. He was considered a symbol of fear in Lyari due to his alleged involvement in criminal activities such as drug peddling, extortion, encounters with the police and murders.

Earlier, Sarban was arrested by the police in 2021 and 2022 and he spent some time in jail. However, upon his release, police said he resumed his criminal activities. This time, Rehman’s son was not arrested and the police killed him during an exchange of fire near the Jubilee Market area. “Sarban Baloch was killed and his accomplice, namely 28-year-old Maqsood Shah, was arrested in an injured state during a shootout with the police,” said a spokesperson for the Karachi police. The body and the injured man were shifted to the Civil Hospital, Karachi.

Police also claimed to have seized two pistols, four snatched mobile phones, cash, and a motorcycle from their possession. Police sources said Sarban was apparently involved in recent crime incidents such as one in Kalakot Rexor Lane Ghareeb Shah where a man, Muslim Baloch, was killed and two others, Saqib and Tufail, were injured.

Sarban was also reportedly operating drug dens in Lyari's Kalakot, Ghareeb Shah, Afshani Gali and Rexor Lane areas. There have also been allegations that he kidnapped young children in Lyari to create videos that would further his criminal activities.

In recent times, there had been a power struggle within Rehman's family with both Sarban and Asad, son of Rehman's brother Rahim, who was recently released from jail, trying to get the upper hand.

There have also been rumours that Sarban had been taken into custody three days prior to the said encounter and was killed in a fake encounter. However, the police have denied these rumours.

The deceased gangster was the son of the notorious Rehman Dakait who was once the most powerful gang leader in Lyari, one of the most populous and oldest localities of Karachi. Rehman Dakait was killed in 2009 by the Karachi police along with three of his accomplices. He was reportedly involved in more than 80 criminal cases.

Once again in Lyari, gangsters have begun operating in various ways as it is evident from recent incidents involving gangster groups led by Wasiullah Lakho and Badshah Khan. Traders in the Old City area are facing extortion threats, while the police have been encountering and arresting gangsters.

One recent development has been the arrest of a gangster named Shuja, who was a key operative of the Wasiullah Lakho group. He was apprehended by the Baghdadi police on February 27 and provided the police with significant revelations after his arrest.

Following his arrest, a video of Shuja went viral in which he disclosed that, along with engaging in extortion and other criminal activities, he and his associates abducted an individual and killed him after torture. Later, they dumped his body somewhere.

Additionally, the Garden police killed two more notorious gangsters, Salal and Sameer, a couple of days ago. Police confirmed that Sameer was the son of gang war commander Shahzad Charlie. These incidents highlight the ongoing conflict between law enforcement agencies and criminal elements in Lyari.

In addition to the mentioned gangsters, some other gangsters have also started operations in Lyari who were once considered close associates of Rehman Dakait and later Uzair Baloch.

Among them are Shahid Rehman, also known as Shahid MCB, and Amin Buledi. These individuals were prominently involved in the election campaigning of a political party in the past general elections. They have been allegedly active in extortion, land occupation and illegal constructions. However, no cases have been registered against them. The resurgence of these characters, along with the rise in extortion threats and drug peddling, indicates a return to the atmosphere of lawlessness in Lyari.