KARACHI, April 13: Parts of Lyari on Friday looked like a war zone with the Lea Market area strewn with stones, shrapnel and a huge number of spent bullet casings as an early morning raid in the area by police triggered a fresh wave of violence that left at least four people dead and over a dozen others wounded.

Police claimed that three criminals wanted in as many as 55 cases of murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping for ransom and extortion activities were picked up during the early morning raid on a hideout in the Kalkot area that sparked a violent reaction.

In the violence that revisited Lyari after a 10-day gap, protesters not only lobbed hand grenades and petrol bombs at police but also fired a couple of rockets.

A young man was killed and his family members were wounded when their fifth-floor apartment was hit by a rocket, police said.

Mohammad Hanif suffered shrapnel injuries and was shifted to the Lyari General Hospital (LGH) with his wife and two children who also sustained injuries, said an official at the Napier police station.

The official added that Hanif was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital while his family were admitted for treatment.

A 10-year-old boy, who sustained a gunshot wound and was brought to the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), died during treatment, said police surgeon Dr Hamid Pariyar.

Shortly afterwards, a hand grenade was hurled at the Eidgah police station leaving several passers-by wounded. One of them, aged 50, later died at the LGH.

Speaking to Dawn, City SP Khurram Waris said initial reports indicated that most of the victims wounded in the daylong violence were caught in crossfire.

Several people were wounded in firing near the LGH. Most of them were taken to the same hospital, while a few others were shifted to the civil hospital.

In another attack, people standing at a bus stop in Lea Market sustained bullet wounds when gunmen opened fire on them at around 4pm.

Police claimed that some policemen were standing at the bus stop and their presence apparently prompted the attack.

Half a dozen people were wounded in the firing. They were rushed to the CHK, where one of them, later identified as Saad Wali Khan, was pronounced dead on arrival. Hospital sources said the victim had sustained a bullet wound to the head and had died before his arrival at the hospital.

Some protesters with their faces covered threw petrol bombs at armoured personnel carriers of police. The tyres of an APC were flattened in a hand grenade attack.

The protestors also set fire to tyres in different areas.

In the evening, two rockets were fired in the Lea Market area that exploded but no casualty was reported in the incident.

Three held, arms seized in raid

SP of the CID anti-extremist cell Aslam Khan later told a press conference that they raided a hideout in the Kalkot area of Lyari and arrested three suspects booked in dozens of criminal cases.

A huge cache of arms found in their possession was seized, he said.

“Ali Hasan alias Hassu, Mushtaq alias Pathan and Abid are wanted in as many as 55 cases of murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping for ransom and extortion,” said SP Khan.

A light machine gun, five AK-47 rifles, two G-3 rifles, five hand grenades and five TT pistols were seized during the raid.

The Friday violence triggered by the raid came as a grim reminder of the recent week clashes between law-enforcers and protesters in the same areas of Lyari following the killing of a suspect in an alleged police encounter. At least six people were killed in the violence then.