Hyderabad police encounter comes under scrutiny after four deaths

HYDERABAD: A police encounter in Hyderabad that left four suspects dead on Saturday has drawn scrutiny, with the incident raising questions because no police personnel were reported injured and only limited details were shared about the suspects’ alleged latest crime.

According to Hyderabad police spokesman Inspector Shahid Usman, Tandojam police, led by the station house officer, exchanged fire with seven armed suspects on Tando Qaisar link road. He said reinforcements from Tando Yousuf and Rahuki police stations, also headed by their respective SHOs, joined the operation shortly afterwards.

The spokesman said the exchange resulted in the deaths of four suspects, while three others escaped. The deceased were identified as Abdul Qadoos Lashari, Asad Bozdar, Abdul Jabbar Sabzoi and Irfan Buledi. Their bodies were shifted to Liaquat University Hospital for postmortem examination.

Police have not yet identified the three suspects who fled, according to the spokesman.

The incident is the third time in about three-and-a-half years that Hyderabad police have reported four deaths in a single encounter. In the two earlier cases, police had publicly presented what was described as a stronger case against those killed. In the latest incident, however, the police only made a brief reference to the suspects allegedly robbing passengers on a bus travelling from Mirpurkhas to Hyderabad as their recent major offence.

Previous encounters cited for comparison

In October 2022, four suspects allegedly involved in robbing a cash delivery van were killed in an encounter. In another case in October 2025, four suspects were shot dead after they were accused of killing a teenager in Karachi during a vehicle robbery hours before their own deaths.

In the present case, Inspector Shahid Usman shared a one-page brief listing first information reports registered in different cities of Sindh in which the deceased had been nominated.

According to the details provided by the spokesman, Abdul Qadoos Lashari had been booked in 12 FIRs in Sukkur, Khairpur, Jamshoro and Dadu districts. Abdul Jabbar Sabzoi was named in four FIRs in Karachi and Shikarpur, while Asad Bozdar was booked in three FIRs in Karachi. Irfan Buledi was also nominated in three FIRs in Karachi.

The police account said the suspects were armed and that the deaths occurred during a two-way exchange of fire involving multiple police teams. The encounter nevertheless came under scanner because all police personnel returned unhurt and the official version offered only a passing mention of the alleged bus robbery linked to the slain men.