KARACHI - Police on Tuesday claimed to have gunned down a ‘bandit’ allegedly in an encounter here in the remits of Shah Latif police station.

Police spokesperson said that bandits riding a motorbike were busy looting a passerby Aslam when its personnel on routine patrolling reached the spot.

“The bandits tried to flee and resorted to firing,” he said, and added, “During the exchange of fire, one bandit was killed while his accomplice managed to flee.” Police said that the deceased was identified as Rasool Bux, and had been arrested earlier in connection with several incidents of robberies.  Police shifted the body to a morgue after autopsy.

Similarly, Jackson police said it had arrested a man involved in the killing of a policeman.

It added that accused Imran was involved in various criminal cases, and had also confessed to have murdered a policeman, Altaf Sultan, in Jackson police remits. Police recovered weapons from his possession while investigation is underway.

On the other hand, Pak Colony police started a crackdown against the drug peddlers.  Heavy police contingents cordoned off the locality and bulldozed the drug dens which infuriated the residents who resorted to protest.

The protesters accused the law enforcers of resorting to such practices in the past, too, and later portrayed it as an operation against the drug peddlers.

They said that the law enforcement agencies and drug peddlers were hands in glove with each other.

They said that despite these routine operations the drug peddlers roamed in the locality freely.

Police said that drug dens were located in the corner of a long lane of the locality. “Due to illegal encroachments in the street and due to its narrowness, police has been unable to crackdown on these gangs,” it said, and added, “It is essential to bulldoze such illegal houses in order to take action against the drug peddlers.”

Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies claimed to have arrested 116 accused persons in various raids and operations carried out in different parts of the city.

Karachi police spokesperson said that city police carried out at least 55 raids in different parts of the city while arrested 116 persons including terrorists, dacoits, drug peddlers, absconders and other petty criminals.

Police also claimed to have recovered weapons from the possession of those arrested.