KARACHI - Police on Thursday killed notorious Lyari gangster Ghaffar Zikri along with his accomplice during an alleged encounter. Unfortunately, Zikri‘s three year old son was also killed during exchange of fire.
According to details, police claimed to have killed Zikri in a shootout took place in locality of Muhammad Muhalla also known as Zikri Muhalla within the jurisdiction of Baghdadi Police station.
Police said that during the shootout Zikri used his minor son as a human shield and tried to escape. Whereas two police officers also sustained bullet injuries including sub-inspector Allah Dita and constable Raffaqat while the condition of Dita is said to be critical.
Zone South police chief DIG Javed Alam Odho while talking to the media said that the police had launched an operation after receiving intelligence information about the presence of Ghaffar Zikri at his hideout.
As police reached the area, Zikri attacked police with lobbing hand grenade and resorting indiscriminate fire, DIG Odho explained. The police retaliated when the Zikri and his men attacked the police.
DIG Odho also claimed to have recovered a huge cache of weapons, including rockets, two SMGs, a hand grenade and more than 200 rounds of ammunition during a search conducted after the shootout and the recovered weapons included those which had been used against the police during the operation.
Police officials said that the operation which lasted at around 90 minutes resulted in the killings of Zikri, his closed aide, Chota Zahid and Zikri’s three-year-old son.
Extra contingent of law enforcers also reached the site of the shootout and cordoned off the entire locality.
The bodies of the gangsters were shifted to Civil Hospital, Karachi for medico-legal formalities and later moved to morgue from where their families took them away for burial process.
According to the post-mortem report, Zikri was shot six times while his son and accomplice received one bullet wound each.
Soon after the operation, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh Dr Syed Kaleem Imam announced Rs500,000 as a reward for the police party that conducted the operation.
He commended the District City SSP Samiullah Soomro and his team and announced that they would be awarded with appreciation certificates along with the monetary reward.
IGP Imam added that his department will keep in constant touch with the hospital administration to ensure that the injured police officers receive the best medical treatment.
Zikri was the one of the main gangsters operating the a gang in Lyari since 2002 and wanted to the police in hundreds of criminal cases including murders, kidnapping for ransom and other sort of criminal activities.
Guard takes own life
A private company security guard shot himself to death to safe his son here in the remits of Gulistan-e-Juhar police station.
Police said that the Azizabad police raided a house located in Gulistan-e-Juhar area to arrest an accused namely Faruk but father of the accused, 45 years old Younas Khan, offered resistance.
Younas pulled out his pistol and warned police party that if anybody attempts to arrest his son than he would shot himself.
Police said that exchange of words has been continued and police trying to convince accused father but he shot himself. Police said that the accused managed to flee while police shifted the ill-fated father to the hospital where he succumbed to his injures.
Separately, unknown gunmen sprayed bullets on a car left a man dead here in the remits of Gulshan-e-Iqbal police station.
Police said that the deceased identified as 35 years old Irshad hailed from Parachnar used to work as driver of local bank manager.
Police said that the deceased driving a new car passing through the Hakeem Saeed Park when gunmen ridding on a motorbike shot him and managed to flee.
Police have so far been unable ascertain the motive behind the incident while handed over the body to the family after autopsy.
