Robber killed, rickshaw driver hurt in shootout

A mugger was killed and a passerby injured in a shootout between robbers and plainclothed paramilitary soldiers near the Aladin Amusement Park in Gulshan-e-Iqbal on Thursday.  

Aziz Bhatti police SHO Mohammad Haneef said a citizen named Syed Tariq Imam, who was driving a car linked to a ride-hailing service, was held up at gunpoint by two suspects near the amusement park. 

The SHO said the robbery was spotted by paramilitary soldiers who were deployed in plainclothes in the area as part of efforts to hunt the knifeman terrorising Karachi.

As the soldiers moved in to stop the mugging and apprehend the suspects, the robbers opened fire and tried to flee. The Rangers personnel retaliated in kind and fatally injured one of the two suspects. The other managed to flee the area. 

However, the shootout also left a citizen, identified as 35-year-old rickshaw driver Abdul Ghafoor, injured. The SHO said Ghafoor had been shot by the robbers and confirmed that his condition was out of imminent danger.

As for the killed suspect, the officer said he was yet to be identified and his body had been placed at the Edhi morgue after completion of legal formalities at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).