Police in Karachi fought each other on Tuesday night over which unit should keep suspects arrested in a short-term kidnapping case. Officials said the Karachi police clash left several officers hurt, including Deputy Superintendent Minhaj, after a Special Investigation Unit team and Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan police disputed an arrest in North Nazimabad. Senior officers later freed Minhaj and the station’s head moharrir, and the suspects were handed to Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan police station.
The arrests themselves were not the argument. Custody was.
How a North Nazimabad raid split the police
Sources say the Karachi police chief had assigned the arrests to the Special Investigation Unit, a specialised wing of the police. Using locator information, a team from the unit’s Crime Investigation Agency raided in North Nazimabad and detained the suspects.
The station house officer of Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan, the officer in charge of that police station, arrived with his team and tried to take the men. He said the station was already working on the case and that the arrests fell within its jurisdiction.
The investigation team refused to hand them over. Officials said that refusal triggered the confrontation. Personnel from Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan allegedly attacked the investigation officials, and the argument became a physical fight. Reports say the two sides scuffled repeatedly through Tuesday night.
Who was hurt, and where the suspects went
A deputy superintendent and the head moharrir of Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan police station were injured. A deputy superintendent is a mid-ranking police officer. A head moharrir keeps the station’s registers and records. Officials said the two were hurt in a counter-clash involving Special Investigation Unit personnel.
The investigation team then held Deputy Superintendent Minhaj and the head moharrir. Senior police officers intervened, and both were released and returned to their police station. Senior officers later intervened again and settled the dispute between the two units. Officials said the suspects were handed over to Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan police station.
What is still unconfirmed
Officials have confirmed the Karachi police clash only in outline. The accounts do not say how many officers were hurt beyond several, do not describe the injuries, and do not name the suspects.
Sources, rather than a quoted statement from the police chief, say he assigned the arrests to the Special Investigation Unit. The claim that local personnel attacked the investigation team is an allegation. Nothing in the accounts says whether any officer will face action for the fight.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Karachi mein mangal ki raat do police teams aapas mein lar parin. Wajah yeh thi ke dono, North Nazimabad se pakde gaye aghwa ke suspects ko apne paas rakhna chahti thin. Is larai mein DSP Minhaj aur Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan thane ka head moharrir zakhmi ho gaye aur kuch dair rok kar rakhe gaye. Bare afsaron ne dono ko chhor diya aur suspects usi thane ke hawale kar diye.
