Pakistani police commandos take up positions during a crackdown operation against criminals in Karachi's town of Lyari.

KARACHI: The ‘Grand Operation’ in Lyari entered its fifth day as clashes between law-enforcement agencies and heavily armed criminals continued.

The criminals resorted to the use of hand-grenades and rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) in addition to the use of sophisticated and automatic weapons against the security forces.

A policeman identified as Tufail was killed during  the clashes near Cheel Chowk, moreover two more people lost their lives when police came under heavy gunfire and rocket attacks while progressing  deeper into the areas near Cheel Chowk and Baghdadi colony.

Ten people were injured when a mini rocket propelled grenade landed on the upper story of a hotel in Lea Market. Police shifted the injured to a near-by hospital for treatment.

The authorities’ move to block mobile phone access in the area failed as the criminals were using walkie-talkies to communicate with each other. It was disclosed that the criminals are in procession of more than a hundred sets of walkie-talkies.