• SIU officials intervened in District Central police sting operation to arrest suspected kidnappers, sources say
• City police chief orders inquiry
KARACHI: Authorities on Wednesday ordered an inquiry into a public confrontation between personnel of two wings of Karachi police over the custody of four suspected kidnappers in North Nazimabad on Tuesday night.
A brief statement said Karachi police chief Azad Khan took notice of what it described as a “tussle” between District Central police and the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) and directed South DIG Syed Asad Raza to conduct a detailed inquiry.
While the statement did not contain any details about the “tussle”, residents of District Central witnessed an open display of firearms, exchange of gunfire and physical confrontation between the two police units over the custody of four suspects who had allegedly kidnapped a trader.
Police sources told Dawn that the trader, who was travelling with his minor son in his car, was kidnapped on Monday within the jurisdiction of the Taimuria police station and the abductors dropped off the boy.
They drove him through several areas for three to four hours, using different roads and routes, withdrew cash from ATMs using the trader’s bank cards and later released him.
As the Taimuria police registered a case, district Central investigators arrested the alleged mastermind on Tuesday afternoon and during interrogation at a police station, he disclosed the names of his accomplices, the sources said.
As part of their strategy, the investigators, led by the Shadman DSP, brought the alleged mastermind to a restaurant in North Nazimabad and asked him to call his accomplices there. Four suspects arrived at the restaurant, and the investigators were waiting for their fifth accomplice to arrive to arrest the entire gang.
In the meantime, some men in plain clothes arrived at the restaurant in a car and tried to take away the suspects without realising that a sting operation was underway. They were intercepted by District Central police personnel. The men in plain clothes identified themselves as SIU officials and refused to hand over custody of the four suspects.
A scuffle broke out between the two police teams and apparently the SIU personnel called in additional members of their unit. The confrontation escalated on the main road and they exchanged gunfire, which triggered fear and panic among residents.
The Nazimabad SHO and his team arrived at the scene and persuaded both sides to move to the police station rather than continue fighting on the road.
Talks between District Central police and SIU officials continued for around two hours and the two sides agreed that their senior officers would “settle” the issue of the custody of the suspects.
The sources said that the Shadman DSP and two members of his team were allegedly taken by SIU personnel to their office in Saddar, where they were reportedly manhandled.
They said the SIU maintained that its personnel had traced and arrested the suspects with the help of technology, while District Central police contended that the SIU officials had arrived under “suspicious circumstances” without informing the local police.
The District Central police managed to get the custody of the four suspects and brought them to the Taimuria police station.
According to the police statement, the Karachi police asked the South DIG to ascertain all aspects of the incident, record statements of the police officials concerned, assess all available evidence and submit a report.
Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2026