Unemployment, police excesses created Lyari gangs

Baba Ladla, the chieftain of Dakait group, said that joblessness brought him into the fold of Dakait’s gang. Now himself the chieftain of his group, Ladla said that after passing the class eighth examination in 1990, his uncle Hameed alias Chachu, who was a friend of the late Usman Ghani, a local PPP leader, got him a clerical job at a bank at I.I Chundrigar Road.

“I did that daily wages job for almost two years and was then fired. Subsequently I applied for the post of a police constable and used to visit the Central Police Office (CPO) daily for a year hoping that I would get the job,” Ladla said. “After my hope dashed to ground, I joined drug mafia and kept selling marijuana for a couple of years. Being the eldest among four brothers, I did that to support my family,” he added. Later, the police arrested his brothers namely Rashid, Zahid and Zakir.

“Since I had joined the drug mafia, confrontation with police was a routine affair and I was picked up several times. My father Ghulam Hussain has repudiated me 10 years ago,” he said.  His father Hussain is still working as a labourer with the KESC. “The day to day encounters with the police led me to join the Dakait’s gang,” Ladla added.  He further said that when police launched operation in Lyari and the exchange of fire took place, the ammunition of Zikri group exhausted and his men were looking for a safe passage to escape. “The three sides have been cordoned off by Dakait’s men and one by the police”, Ladla said and alleged that armoured personnel carrier provided huge quantity of bullets to the Zikri group.