Murder capital: Over 1,000 people killed since January

KARACHI: A total of 1,052 people have been killed in the city since January of this year, the SSP South Zone, Asif Ejaz Sheikh, told press conference on Tuesday. In the past six months, over a thousand people have been killed due to various reasons.

These include 323 in target killings, 659 due to personal enmities and 35 in robbery or snatching cases. Sadly, 35 police personnel and officers were also been gunned down in the city, said Sheikh.

According to reports, 88 target killers had been apprehended while 66 cases of extortion had been registered, out of which 44 extortionists were nabbed. Meanwhile, 85 robbers had been killed and around 2,500 criminals had been arrested, he said. The police also found three anti-aircraft guns, five sub-machine guns (SMGs), 217 MP-5 and Kalashnikovs, 700 shotguns and 4,092 pistols. Sheikh said that two suicide jackets, 65 bombs, 266 hand grenades, 282 rockets launchers and 76 kilogrammes of explosive material were also found.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2012.