Four FIRs lodged over drug raid gone wrong

Saturday’s shoot-out between police officials and drug peddlers in the Gadap Town raid that left a teenaged passer-by dead has resulted in the registration of four first information reports (FIRs), The News has learnt.

The Gadap City police had received information regarding the presence of a notorious criminal, identified only as Ibrahim, who was believed of being involved in a number of offences, in Gadap Town’s Yasrab Colony.

Acting on the information, police mobiles were despatched to the locality. However, the raiding team of law enforcers was stopped from entering the settlement, especially by women and children, who pelted the police with stones and thereby protected the suspects.

The raiding team cordoned off the area, but before they could enter the settlement, armed suspects associated with Ibrahim’s group opened fire on the police, who retaliated. But the shoot-out resulted in gunshot wounds to two locals, one of whom succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

The police, however, still managed to detain two suspects, who were later identified as Izzat Khan and Zeeshan, as well as confiscated the weapons and narcotics found on them. Khan is a notorious criminal who was earlier arrested by the District Malir police and then set free on bail.  

Police investigations

District Malir Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shiraz Nazeer Shaikh told The News that the deceased victim was identified as 17-year-old Bilal Azeem, who studied at a local government college in the locality.

SSP Shaikh said the police have registered an FIR of the boy’s killing at the Gadap City police station on the complaint of his mother against unidentified accused.

The Karachi police chief has formed an investigating team, chaired by East Range Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Amir Farooqi, to ascertain the facts and fix responsibility so that their names could be added to the FIR, added the SSP.

Shaikh said the police have collected 10 to 11 spent bullet shells belonging to 9mm and 30-bore pistols and two of a submachine gun and despatched them to the forensic division of the Sindh police.

The SSP said the initial medical examination report of the teenager shows that he had suffered a bullet to the chest, adding that his post-mortem report would be completed by Monday or Tuesday.  

The four FIRs

DIG Farooqi told The News that four FIRs have been registered at the Gadap City police station over the incident: the first was lodged on behalf of the state under sections of arson, police encounter and attempted murder as well as under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The second FIR was lodged on the complaint of the deceased teenager’s mother, the third was registered against the accused from whom narcotics were seized and the fourth was lodged against the accused on whom weapons were found, added the DIG.

Farooqi said he had summoned all the police officials that participated in the raid and their statements have been recorded, adding that now they are asking the locals to provide eyewitness accounts.

A protest had erupted in the area after the shooting on Saturday that left Bilal dead. According to residents, police conducted a raid and arrested 10 people. However, as police officials were leaving the area, they resorted to aerial firing, in which Bilal was killed and 18-year-old Shakeel suffered injuries.

Shakeel was shifted to Jinnah Hospital in critical condition, the residents added. Soon after, residents took to the streets and blocked the Super Highway. They placed the dead body in the middle of the road in protest. The protesters also pelted police mobiles and the Gadap police station with stones.