Unlike death of Baitullah Mehsud it has been confirmed that the central figure of Lyari Gang war Rehman Dakait has been killed in an encounter by Karachi Police near Steel Town, along with his three partners in crime. Lyari is considered one of the most dangerous places in Karachi due to ubiquitous gang activity and a thriving narcotics industry; certain areas of the town are literally controlled by gangs and municipal authorities have no power. Hence, the town has also been the site of many (mostly unsuccessful) police operations. The two biggest gang leaders in Lyari are Rehman Dakait and Arshad Pappu, who were the most-wanted criminals in Karachi.
The Sindh government had launched an operation against Rehman Dakait and his gang, which came out virtually unscathed by the last operation in the area compared to its rival group. Over 250 families had to leave Lyari due to the gang war. Rehman Dakait was wanted by the police in over 300 cases of murder, kidnappings for ransom, diesel smuggling, etc. His name was included in the CID’s Red Book and the police had set Rs 5 million bounty over his head.
He has been making headlines for some years now, and his nabbing in Jinnah Town in Quetta made front page news last month. In urban Karachi, he is a mythical figure from the feared but not talked about underworld.The gangster was being interrogated in Islamabad by the intelligence agencies for his possible involvement in the February killings of Chinese engineers in Hub after which he managed to escape. Dakait and his men had been active along the Makran belt and Hub areas. His contacts extended to Baloch politicians and other influential people according to the recent investigations by the police. It has also been said that he was planning to go into philanthropy and then possibly to politics, through the fortune he made by his crimes.
According to police statements, Dakait’s car was stopped for a routine vehicle late Sunday, which the dacoits tried to escape, forcing the police to open fire. Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Karachi Waseem Ahmed cosider the killing of the notorious gang-leader as a major achievement for the Karachi Police.
Will it be a beginning for peace in the troubled area of Lyari and Karachi?
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