Police share details of Karachi encounter as house owner terms it 'fake'

KARACHI: Serious questions have been raised over the police encounter in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) area of the city early on Friday that saw the killing of five dacoits as the owner of the house where it happened had termed it a fake encounter despite police claims of killing them in a gunfight, ARY NEWS reported.    

The police while sharing the entire episode of the encounter at a house in DHA said that the cops intercepted a suspicious vehicle and followed the criminals after they tried to flee away.

“The criminals entered a house by climbing over the boundary wall and the police followed them there,” they said adding that an encounter ensued between the two sides at the place, resulting in injuries to five dacoits.

“They succumbed to the injuries while being shifted to the hospital,” the police said adding that the victims were identified as Abbas, Mustafa, Abid and Riaz while the identity of the fifth man is yet to be known.

Sharing their modus operandi, the police said that the accused used to take information before the robbery in a house from domestic workers.

They enter the house by cutting window panes and used to torture the household members during the robberies, the police said adding that they were involved in various criminal activities and weapons were also recovered from their possession.

They were part of a 12-member gang and six of their members are in prison while one of them is yet to be arrested.

House owner rejects police claims

The owner Ali Hasnain, who claimed to be a senior lawyer of the Sindh High Court (SHC), however, rejected the police version and said that the cops barged into his house at 4:00 am on Friday and took his mother and other guests as a hostage.

“The police took Abbas and my vehicle with them and pictures circulated on Chippa portal claimed that he was killed during a police encounter,” he said while blaming the police for killing his driver in a fake encounter.

“I am a senior lawyer of the Sindh High Court and am currently present in Islamabad along with my wife,” he said adding that he was not aware regarding the identity of the four other people killed during the alleged police encounter.

Ali Hasnain said that the vehicle seized by the police was in his use and Abbas use to drive another vehicle. “He used to take my mother to hospital regularly and normally spent the entire day performing her duties,” the lawyer said.

Friday night episode

It is pertinent to mention here that Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) South Zubair Nazir claimed on Friday that five alleged dacoits were killed in a police shootout in Karachi’s DHA Phase IV. They broke into a house for dacoity and took all residents hostage.

A police team immediately rushed to the site after receiving the information, he added.

The dacoits opened fire on the police party and in retaliatory fire, all of the alleged criminals were killed, said Zubair Nazir.