KARACHI: The Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, on Thursday claimed to have killed three suspects involved in Lyari gang warfare while their accomplice managed to flee in an ‘encounter’ in Yousaf Goth.

Two Rangers personnel also sustained injuries during the exchange of fire, officials said.

One of the deceased, Nawaz Ali alias Mulla, had received military training along with Taliban for three months in Balochistan, according to the Rangers spokesperson.

‘One of the dead got military training along with Taliban in Balochistan’

The official said that the paramilitary force conducted an intelligence-driven targeted raid at the hideout of the suspects in Yousaf Goth in the early hours of Thursday. On seeing the troops, the suspects resorted to firing, prompting the law enforcers to cordon off the area, he added.

“After a heavy exchange of fire, three suspects got killed while one managed to escape,” said the paramilitary force spokesperson. The deceased were identified as Nawaz Ali alias Mulla, Junaid and Amin Mustafa alias Chamber.

“They belonged to Lyari gang warfare and were wanted in cases of targeted killings and terror incidents,” according to the Rangers statement.

“A large quantity of arms and ammunition and hand grenades were seized from their custody,” said the Rangers official.

Link with Taliban

“Nawaz Ali alias Mulla got training along with Taliban for three months in Chaman, Balochistan, in the year 2011,” said the Rangers spokesperson.

He was a member of the ‘Kutchhi Group’ of gangsters.

The gangster was involved in 66 cases of targeted killings, 11 hand grenade incidents besides extortion and robberies, the official said.

Mulla had killed 15 members of the Baba Ladla gang, besides being involved in nearly a dozen hand grenade attacks in Lyari and Old Golimar since 2012, said the paramilitary spokesperson.“He used to collect Rs120,000 as extortion money from different people in Pak Colony on a monthly basis,” said the official, adding that he was allegedly involved in the murder of three brothers in September and the killing of at least six people last month.

The deceased was allegedly involved in Rs20.5 million robberies in Hub, the official said.

“Nawaz Ali had also procured illegal weapons worth Rs20 million from Quetta, Balochistan,” added the Rangers statement.

Amin Mustafa alias Chamber was involved in 21 targeted killings. He was wanted by the police in connection with the killing of Urdu-speaking persons in different areas in 2012 and 2013. The suspected gangster used to kill the people brutally and threw their bodies in the Lyari river.

The other deceased, Junaid, was allegedly involved in 10 targeted killings besides armed robberies, the Rangers said, adding that most of the victims were Urdu-speaking people while he had killed a Sindhi-speaking person in the Manghopir area in 2012, according to the Rangers official.

He added that the paramilitary force would continue the targeted operation till the elimination of all terrorists and targeted killers.

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2016