Policemen among five gunned down in the city

KARACHI:

Four policemen and a religious party worker were shot dead in separate incidents across the city on Tuesday.

In Quaidabad, two policemen were gunned down by unidentified men. They were from the Quaidabad police station and were on duty at Dakkhana near Gul Ahmed Textile Mills when the incident took place. SHO Amanullah Marwat claimed that it was a planned attack. He said that the attackers did not give the policemen time to react. The officer added that the assailants also stole the police officers official weapons.

The policemen were identified as head constable Azhar Abbas and constable Azam. They were shot at multiple times and died on the spot. The bodies were taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for autopsies. Their funeral prayers were offered at Malir Complex, Saudabad. The bodies were taken to their hometowns - Jhang and Faisalabad for the burial.

The police suspect that militants from a banned outfit might have been behind the attack. An investigation is being carried out. No case was registered till the filing of this report.

Tahir Mehmood, 46, a head constable, was shot dead in Shanti Nagar, Baldia Town within the limits of the Ittehad Town police station.

Police officials said the deceased was posted at the Muhammad Buksh police post in Baldia Town and was on his way to report for duty when unidentified motorcyclists attacked him. Following the incident, additional IG Karachi Ghulam Qadir Thebo suspended and reverted Ittehad Town SHO and asked the DSP to leave charge and report to the Central Police Office immediately.

Police officials believe that the police is being targeted in retaliation to the ongoing military operation in North Waziristan.

On Monday night, another police officer identified as ASI Ali Nawaz, 35, was targeted by unidentified motorcyclists near Moti Mahel in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. He was on his way home from work in Federal B Industrial Area. He was shot once in the head and died on the spot.

A man identified as Waseem Shaikh, 31, was also killed in the incident.

In an unrelated incident, a Quran teacher was killed within the limits of the Surjani Town police station. Thirty-year-old Qari Muhammad Ishaq was at the site of his under construction house in Taiser town when the incident took place.

SHO Bashir Waddo said that the deceased was busy teaching students when two armed men on a motorcycle entered his house and shot him multiple times. He was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where he succumbed to injuries during treatment. SHO Waddo added that Ishaq was associated with Jamaat-e-Islami and was killed in reaction to a killing that took place a couple of days ago in North Nazimabad. A further investigation is underway.

Separately, forty-four-year-old Raja Shahid was found dead in Landhi. The police said that the deceased was kidnapped and killed. He was tortured and shot once in the head. The police suspect that he might have been killed by his wife's second husband, Salman. Police officials said that they have arrested Salman's brother, Abdul Rehman, and have initiated further investigation.

The body of a 53-year-old policeman was found at his residence in Jaffar Tayyar Society within the limits of the Malir City police station. The police said that the committed suicide by hanging himself.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2014.