Suspect killed in shootout with police in Kharadar

An alleged robber was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police in the Phool Patti Lane locality of Kharadar in the wee hours of Monday.

Kharadar SHO Shariq Mehmood said a team of law enforcers from his police station was conducting snap checking in the Phool Patti Lane area when they signalled a motorcyclist to stop for checking. SHO Mehmood said the suspect opened fire on the police team and tried to speed away, but the law enforcers retaliated with gunfire and wounded him.

The injured was taken to the Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, but he died of excessive bleeding before he could reach the health facility, added the officer.

He said the police did not recover anything from the suspect’s possession that could help identify him. Claiming that the suspect was a robber, the officer said his body was taken to the Edhi morgue for identification.

Karachi witnesses several muggings every day, but the police force appears to have failed to address the situation effectively. An incident that occurred on Street 26 in Clifton late on Saturday night came as a grim reminder of the menace of rising street crime in the city. A police head constable was martyred and the SHO of the Clifton police station suffered injuries when they were fired upon as they confronted muggers in the upscale neighbourhood.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Rizwan Tariq said SHO Chaudhry Shahid was in his private vehicle with his driver, Head Constable Hidayatullah Niazi, and his staffers were in a mobile van on Street 26, Tauheed Commercial, when he saw two suspicious men on a motorcycle and signalled them to stop.

On seeing the police, however, the men opened fire and tried to speed away. SHO Shahid and Head Constable Niazi gave a chase and also conveyed a message to the police mobile on patrol.

The police officials intercepted the robbers in an inner lane near Ideal Bakery, where Niazi hit their motorcycle, knocking them off the two-wheeler. While the cops were attempting to catch the robbers, the latter opened fire, injuring the law enforcers. The suspects then escaped from the scene.

The police officials were rushed to a private hospital, where Niazi succumbed to his injuries. He had suffered four bullet wounds to his upper torso. SHO Shahid, who was hit by two bullets, was stated be in a stable condition.

SDPO Tariq said they had found six spent bullet shells of a 9mm pistol and a 30-bore pistol at the scene, and sent them to the forensic division of the Sindh police for examination. Moreover, he said, they were also checking to ascertain if CCTV cameras were installed at any nearby location. The spokesman for the Sindh police said funeral prayers for the martyred head constable were offered at the Garden Headquarters.

Sindh Home Minister Suhail Anwar Siyal, provincial Inspector General of Police AD Khowaja, the Karachi additional inspector general of police and other police officers attended the funeral.