KARACHI, Dec 9: An exchange of heavy fire between two gangs in Lyari followed by armed groups’ gunfight with police in the small hours on Sunday left a young man dead in what appeared as one the severe gun battles since the resurfacing of gangsters in the area during the recent months.

“This was a fight, we believe, between Arshad Pappu and Rahman Dakait,” said a Baghdadi resident. He said: “It was a horrible scene. Armed gangsters were roaming around freely and it happened after quite sometime,” he observed.

Area people said the firing that stopped only for a while turned intense when police raided a hideout of gangsters.

During the exchange of fire between the police and gangs, 24-year-old Asghar was killed. Suspecting that the deceased was a member of one of the gangs, police said that the action taken by them was inevitable and claimed that it was a part of a strategy that they moved a bit late.

Later, police registered a case and arrested 6 suspects in different parts of Lyari. Police arrested Sohail Lashari, Jamal alias Mullah and Faiz alias Faizoo from Baghdadi who were believed to be accomplices of Rahman Dakait. An alleged member of Ghaffar Zikri group, Shahid, was arrested in Kalri and a 9mm pistol was recovered from his possession. A suspected drug dealer, Ijaz, was arrested in Kalakot area.

“They are mainly the suspects of illegal arms supply and drugs trade,” said SP Fayyaz Khan of Lyari Town. He said: “The incident reflected desperation of the gangs, who have been facing tough time in operations.”