By Moin Ullah Shah
KARACHI: Karachi police say they have arrested two suspects within hours of an armed robbery at a mobile phone shop in the city’s Badar Commercial area, following what they described as a timely and intelligence-led operation.
According to District South police, the incident took place on 20 December when three armed men entered a mobile phone shop in Badar Commercial and stole mobile phones at gunpoint before fleeing the scene. The senior superintendent of police for District South, Mehzor Ali, said officers launched an immediate response after receiving information about the robbery.
Police said intelligence-based inputs and CCTV footage were used to trace the suspects’ whereabouts, leading to a targeted raid. During the operation, officers came under fire when the suspects allegedly opened fire on the police team after realising they were surrounded.
In the exchange, one suspect, Rana Haris, son of Aslam, was arrested in an injured condition, while another suspect, Ayan Ali, was taken into custody without resistance. Two other suspects managed to escape during the encounter, police said.
The suspects involved in the robbery were identified as Haris, Ayan Ali, Wajid, son of Noor Ahmed, and Nauman Ghaffar, son of Abdul Ghaffar. Police said Wajid and Nauman Ghaffar fled the scene and raids were under way to arrest them.
From the arrested suspects, police said they recovered the stolen mobile phones, a 9mm pistol, four rounds of ammunition and a motorcycle. During further action, a jacket allegedly used by the absconding suspect Wajid during the robbery was also recovered.
Police said further investigation into the case was continuing, while efforts were ongoing to track down and arrest the remaining suspects.
