One gangster was killed while two others sustained injuries in an exchange of fire between police and a gang in the Lyari area of Karachi.
Ghaffar Niazi, a gangster associated with the gang war in Lyari, was killed on Monday in a police encounter in Karachi’s Moosa Lane located in the city’s Lyari Town.
The police received information about the presence of gangsters belonging to the Sheraz Comrade group, which is one of the gangs involved in Lyari gang war, in these areas.
When the police reached the sites, the suspects opened fire at the police. In retaliatory firing, one gangster Ghaffar Niazi was killed while two others were injured critically.
According to police, Niazi was involved in several cases of murder, attempted murder and kidnapping for ransom.
He was considered a key figure in the gang war, DIG South Abdul Khaliq Shaikh said. A huge cache of arms and ammunition, a number of walky-talky sets and hand grenades were recovered from Ghaffar’s possession.
The deceased was said to be involved in several criminal acts including murder and abduction. He was also the cousin of Ayaz Niazi alias Bhoora who was killed last year in October.
Lyari is one of the poorest and most violent neighbourhoods of Karachi where clashes between rival gangs linked to political and ethnic groups erupt continuously.
Meanwhile, an assistant sub inspector was killed in a police encounter in Karachi’s Nazimabad area. The inspector was killed during an exchange of fire with gunmen who appeared to be mugging citizens. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nazimabad Muqadas Haider confirmed that ASI Asif Mohammad was killed in the encounter in Nazimabad No. 2. The gunmen were also injured during the encounter but managed to escape from the site of the incident.
