The body of a student of Sindh University was found on Monday, over a month after he was abducted by law enforcers, according to his peers and activists who took to social media to share the news. The police, meanwhile, claimed he was a wanted criminal and was killed in an 'encounter'.

The news of the killing has sparked outrage, with activists calling for the Sindh government to investigate the incident.

Lahore-based academic Dr Ammar Ali Jan said he was shocked to hear of the incident and any "silence would mean complicity" on part of the Sindh government.

According to him, the victim, Irfan Jatoi, was arrested on February 10 and his body was found yesterday.

Activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir said that the deceased was alleged to be a wanted criminal by Sukkur police while many on social media were saying that he had been abducted from the Sindh University premises.

He called for the provincial police chief to launch an inquiry under Section 5 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Nasir also called for the office of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to address the incident and "issue a statement on this encounter which has seemed to raise many questions".

"History of encounters in Sindh is tainted with repeated abuse of power and encounter specialists enjoying undue patronage of government."

'Dangerous dacoit'

The young man was killed in a police encounter on Sunday near a fish farm in the limits of the Jhangro Police Station, according to a press release issued by the Sukkur police, which identified him as Irfan Ali Kharos.

Sukkur Police spokesperson Bilal Leghari said the deceased was a "dangerous dacoit" and was wanted in Sukkur and several other districts of Sindh for cases of "car snatching, robbery, house robbery, police encounters and other serious incidents".

Detailed information of the deceased and his criminal records were being procured from other districts, said the press release.

An FIR into the incident has yet to be registered.

An antiterrorism court, meanwhile on Saturday, had directed the additional inspector general of police, Karachi, to initiate an inquiry against police officials involved in fake encounters and take strict action against them.

The judge had directed the Karachi police chief to take action against police officials who recorded false testimonies before the court and intimate the court regarding action taken against them.