At least five people, including a police officer of the Crime Investigation Department (CID), were killed in Lyari on Sunday as the operation against criminal elements entered its third day.
In the Cheel Chowk area of the troubled locality, two cameramen of private TV channels and four policemen were injured during rocket and hand grenade attacks.
The situation remains volatile in Lyari as criminals are using hand grenades, rockets and sophisticated weapons against law enforcement agencies. Several residents have fled from their homes due to the ongoing wave of violence. At least 23 people including a SHO have been killed since the start of the operation.
The police in coordination with FC had launched an operation against criminal elements of Lyari on Friday. Since the launch of the operation, law enforcement agencies have been facing resistance and retaliation from criminals in the area. On Saturday, the narrow lanes of Lyari remained a battlefield for the second consecutive day as fierce battles raged between gangsters and the police resulting in the loss of nine lives. The terrified residents of Lyari claimed that due to the operation, they had been confined to their homes and in the exchange of fire between the police and gangsters, bullets had entered their homes, forcing them to take shelter, and even sleep, on the floors of their houses. Several residents have started migrating to other areas because of the violence.