Chips vendor killed in ‘shootout between cops and suspects’

A chips vendor lost his life during an exchange of fire between police and alleged drug peddlers in Nazimabad on Friday.

A large number of citizens staged a protest against the incident, blaming the police personnel responsible for the incident and also caught and beat up two cops. Forty-year-old Muhammad Usman was killed during the shootout between police and alleged drug peddlers in Kabli Bazaar within the limits of the Rizvia police station. The casualty was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Following the incident, a large number of people gathered on the spot, caught two plainclothes personnel and thrashed them badly. The protesters also set tyres on fire on the road, staged a protest and chanted slogans against the police. The protest caused a traffic jam in the area. A video of the incident also went viral on social media, showing a crowd of people beating the plainclothes cops.

The protesters alleged that the innocent chips vendor was killed by the firing of the plainclothes police personnel, identified as Faizan and Ramiz. They said that the cops had arrived in the area to get the shops shut ahead of the lockdown and were collecting cash from shopkeepers who were not closing their shops as well as torturing those shopkeepers who were not paying bribes to them.

The protesters further claimed that upon the police’s torture, some shopkeepers offered resistance and tried to catch the cops; however, the cops attempted to flee under the cover of fire, leaving the chips vendor dead.

Contrary to this, police said that four policemen – two in police uniforms and two in plainclothes – went to conduct a raid on the notorious Saifullah vice den in the area. They said members of the drug peddler’s gang, namely Fazal alias Bechni, opened fire at the police. In retaliation, the police also fired gunshots, and during the exchange of fire, the chips vendor died.

Police said two cops were held hostage and tortured on the roof of one of the houses in the area; however, a heavy contingent of police rescued them. They said a transparent inquiry was being conducted and the policemen would be dealt with according to law if they were found involved.

The victim was a resident of Nazimabad No. 1, while police officials were said to be waiting for the postmortem report to ascertain whether it the police’s bullet that hit and killed him or the bullet came from the drug peddlers’ side.

The protesters ended the protests after three hours following negotiations held with the police, who ensured the protesters that an inquiry committee would be held under the supervision of the Liaquatabad SP.