In cold blood: Man kills father, brother over property dispute

Relatives called the police after Asif shot Saleem multiple times

KARACHI: The police have booked a man for the alleged murder of his father and brother at their residence located in Sukkan outskirts of the city on Sunday.

The accused was identified as 28-year-old Asif. He was arrested at the crime scene by the police. Asif was taken to the police station where a double murder case was registered against him on behalf of his family.

According to what Asif's family told the police, he killed his 60-year-old father, Ismail, along with his older brother, Saleem, 35, over a property dispute. "He [Asif] was asking his father for his share of the property," said Muhammad Shahid, a relative. "He kept pressurising his father to sell the property and divide the share but Ismail always refused."

Saleem, he added, interfered and tried to sort out the issue between the two. "The brothers exchanged harsh words and then Asif pulled out a gun," said the relative. "He shot his father once and his brother multiple times. Both of them died on the spot." The bodies were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for the autopsies and were handed over to the family later for the funeral.

After Asif shot his father and brother, relatives and neighbours caught him and called the police to arrest him. The victims used to live in a three-storey building in Bhains Colony within the limits of the Sukkan police station. They owned cattle farms in the area.

Police officials said that they had arrested the accused and an investigation was being carried out. "The TT pistol used by the accused has also been seized," said Sukkan SHO Muhammad Mithal. "We are not sure if it was a licenced weapon." He added that initial investigation suggested that Asif had killed two men over a property issue.

In an unrelated incident, the body of an unidentified woman was found in North Karachi, within the limits of the Sir Syed police station. The body was taken to the Edhi morgue in Sohrab Goth after medico-legal formalities were completed at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. The police said that the woman was shot and killed by unidentified men. They added that an investigation was underway.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2015.