HYDERABAD: A suspected drug peddler, who is said to be a dismissed policeman, was injured and arrested during an alleged encounter with the Naseem Nagar police near Icon City in Hyderabad on Saturday late night.
According to a police spokesperson, the encounter took place during routine patrolling when police signalled two motorcycle riders to stop. Instead of complying, the suspects allegedly opened fire on the police. As the police returned fire, one suspect was injured and arrested, while his accomplice managed to escape on the motorcycle taking advantage of the darkness.
The arrested man was identified as Mazhar Ali Bhatti, son of Hussain Bakhsh, originally a resident of New Pind in Sukkur and currently living in Sehrish Nagar, Qasimabad. Police said an illegal pistol was recovered from his possession. Initial verification through the police search device revealed that the suspect had previously been involved in more than 26 criminal cases in Hyderabad and other districts of Sindh.
The injured suspect was shifted to Civil Hospital Hyderabad for medical treatment, while a team was dispatched to arrest the fleeing suspect, identified as Abdul Khaliq, son of Bakht Ali Bhangwar.
Meanwhile, relatives of the injured suspect claimed that he was a policeman. However, the police spokesperson stated that he had already been dismissed from service. The relatives alleged that the suspect had been arrested by the Hatri police about a week ago and police had demanded a heavy bribe for his release. They claimed that when the money was not paid, he was allegedly injured in a staged encounter and shown as arrested in the current case.
