A district magistrate on Monday sent Ghulam Azad, one of the suspected robbers in the Gizri ‘encounter’ case, on a 14-day remand after he was produced by the police in the court.
Judicial Magistrate (South) Noor Mohammad Kalmati remanded the suspect to police custody till January 15 with the directive to complete the investigation and submit a report on the next date of hearing.
The police on Sunday registered two First Information Reports (FIRs) against the suspected robbers, one of whom was shot dead in the ‘encounter’. The special duty magistrate had given a one-day remand of the accused.
It may be added that suspected 25-year old dacoit Zakaria was shot dead and Azad wounded in a shoot-out with the police near Gizri on Friday night. However, Zakaria’s family and Azad claim that the shoot-out was fake and orchestrated by the police.
Zakaria’s family rejected the police’s claims, alleging that Zakaria was killed for ‘cash’ and the two ‘precious mobile phones’ he was carrying.
Zakaria’s grandmother, Hafeeza, told media persons that he and his friend had gone to meet someone near the Teen Talwar area of the metropolis.
“Zakaria was killed because his CNIC mentioned his residential address of Lyari,” said Hafeeza.
However, Gizri Station House Officer (SHO) Latif said that Zakaria and Azad, were fleeing on a motorbike after committing a robbery on Khayaban-i-Rahat in Defence when they were intercepted by the police near Gizri stop, off Khayaban-i-Jami.
“Zakaria was killed and Azad was wounded in the (ensuing) encounter,” said the SHO
He added that two pistols were seized from their custody. The police also claimed to have recovered three snatched mobile phones.
