444 suspects killed in encounters led by Rao Anwar: report

KARACHI: As many as 444 suspects were killed in 192 police encounters led by Rao Anwar after his appointment as the top cop in the Malir district of the metropolis, according to an inquiry report submitted by the Sindh police in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The report detailing 745 encounters involving former SSP Malir Rao Anwar, after his appointment seven years back, was submitted by the police after Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar took suo notice of the alleged extra judicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsood.

According to the inquiry report, Rao Anwar led 192 police encounters in which 444 people were killed. Whereas, there were 553 cases that did not involve any killings.

The report stated that Rao Anwar took some 891 suspects into custody during the last seven years as SPP of the Malir district. 

The first ten months of 2012 saw the most number of encounters, the report said.

Two police encounters took place in Jan 2018 that led to killing of  eight people.

Sidnh Police IG AD Khowaja has asked Rao Anwar to hand himself over to police after  the former SSP  threatened to lodge  cases against  senior police officers who have been tasked with  probing the case of Naqeebullah Mehsood.

A case was registered against  Rao Anwar on Tuesday over the extrajudicial killing of Waziristan native Naqeebullah Mehsud.

He  is wanted in an inquiry into the extrajudicial murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud, a 27-year-old native of Waziristan who was among four suspected terrorists killed in an ‘exchange of fire’ with a police team on January 13 in Shah Latif Town, Karachi.

The suspended police officer's name was earlier placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) on the orders of the Supreme Court after it took notice of his reported attempt to leave the country.

Rao Anwar’s attempt to flee the country was foiled by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials when he was trying to sneak out from the Islamabad Airport..

 Instead of surrendering to the police in Karachi and defending himself in the court of law, apparently Rao Anwar tried to flee the country to avoid arrest.