Karachi police make U-turn, admit slain 'suspect' was innocent

KARACHI: Following the controversial killing of Naqeebullah in a ‘police encounter’, one more apparent case of police excesses emerged in the metropolis on Saturday.

Hours after stating that a suspect, Maqsood, was killed by the law enforcement authorities in a shootout near Faisal Base at Shahra-e-Faisal, the police authorities backtracked from their initial statement by stating that the innocent citizen was in fact killed due to the firing of the real suspect engaged in a shootout with the police.

The deceased was in a rickshaw during the shootout.

Sister of the deceased has refused to accept the claim of police officials.

Speaking to the press, she said: “Police is always lying. They conduct fake encounters, they kill the innocents. The criminal is saved but my brother, who was innocent, was targeted. He received bullets in his back.”

She added: “I appeal to Nawaz Sharif to give justice to us, to give justice to the brother of five sisters”.

The local police authorities claim that two suspects, Ali and Babar, were arrested while their accomplice Ibrahim managed to flee from the site. The police added that the suspects were involved in more than 10 snatching incidents in a month while donning police uniform in the areas of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Bahadurabad, Dhoraji, Gulistan-e-Jauhar.

The suspects used to target people coming from the Karachi Airport.

Police also said that cases including of robberies have been filed against the suspects. Wireless sets, SMG rifles, mobile phones, pistols and police uniforms were recovered from the suspects.

The suspects were known as members of Irani Gang.

Speaking to Geo News, Sindh IG AD Khawaja said that the police did a commendable job in arresting the suspects involved in looting people. 

"The gang tried to hold people hostage when police intercepted them. The man was killed due to their firing," he said.

Responding over the reservations expressed by late Maqsood’s sister of the role played by the police in the incident, the police chief said: "If they have doubts that the police is at fault we will conduct an inquiry."