Family of suspected mugger protest his killing in 'fake' shootout

KARACHI: The family members and relatives of an alleged mugger gunned down in a shootout with law enforcers staged a protest demonstration outside the Sachal police station on Saturday, accusing the police of killing a rickshaw driver in a fake encounter by billing him an outlaw.

A suspected mugger, identified as Abrar, was shot dead in an exchange of fire with the police personnel within the remits of Sachal police station the other day, according to police.

Contradicting the police’s claim, a number of family members and relatives of the alleged outlaw staged the sit-in by placing his dead body outside the police station. They alleged the police killed the rickshaw driver in a fake encounter and instituted trumped-up charges against him.

The protesters claimed the Sachal police had taken Abrar into custody before the encounter and later, handed him over to Shah Latif police. They said the Sachal police were piling pressure on the heirs to reach a compromise with the police.

On the other hand, the SHO of the Sachal police station maintained that Abrar was a mugger and killed in the encounter with the personnel. The deceased along with his accomplice was looting a woman and opened fire when they saw a police party, he said.

He sustained bullet wounds when the policemen returned fire and died on the spot, the SHO said and added his accomplice had managed to flee the spot.