Cop shot dead in line of duty, three injured

KARACHI: One of the most difficult tasks assigned to law enforcers is recovering encroached land, but it’s hard to imagine that this specific line of duty would cost them their lives.A policeman lost his life in the line of duty, while three others, including Sohrab Goth Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Iftikhar Lodhi, were injured in an operation against land mafia at Superhighway on Wednesday.According to details, a police party, led by DSP Lodhi, tried to initiate an operation against the land mafia to evacuate seven acres of encroached land of Aligarh Society located near Ahsanabad check post. The Sindh High Court had ordered the operation. Over 450 policemen and officials of Anti-Encroachment Cell (AEC) and City District Government Karachi (CDGK) participated in the operation. As the officials reached the spot, hundreds of inhabitants had already gathered and were protesting against the operation.The protesters pelted stones on the officials, injuring DSP Lodhi and two other police personnel. They also burnt tyres and blocked all movement on the road.Superintendent of police (SP) Rao Anwar said the police party fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse the crowd, upon which one of the protesters opened fire on the police party and injured a police constable (PC) Shahbaz, son of Nawaz. He was rushed to the Patel Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.The police, along with a SHC official, had on Tuesday tried to evacuate the encroached land but failed because of strong resistance shown by the inhabitants, especially women.DSP Lodhi said the police had stopped the said operation on the directives of the SHC and claimed that Noor Khan killed the deceased Shahbaz. He has been declared an absconder. Lodhi said the late PC Shahbaz, who was the resident of Malik Society and a father of two children, had been serving at the Sohrab Goth police station for the last 10 years.SP Anwar said police stopped the operation on the orders of the court but we are trying to find the land mafia criminal who killed the police constable. No case was registered till the filing of the report – Dailytimes