Dr Waheedur Rehman murder case: Investigators seek details of 10 KU students

A week on, the police have failed to make any breakthrough in the investigations.

KARACHI: A week has passed since the murder of Karachi University (KU) assistant professor Dr Syed Waheedur Rehman but the police have been unable to make any breakthrough.

Investigators have, however, sought the details of 10 university students from the KU administration for some clues. Dr Rehman, an assistant professor at KU's mass communications department, was shot dead near the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases in Federal B Area on April 29. He had been on his way to the varsity in his Suzuki Cultus when at least five assailants on motorcycles attacked him.

Although a sketch of one of the attackers was made, the police have not made any breakthrough, failing to even ascertain the motive and the group responsible for the incident. Having ruled out the motives of sectarianism and personal enmity, they have enhanced the scope of their investigation of what they believe is a 'blind case'.

While the police also obtained a forensic report of the bullet shells used in the attack, the weapon had not been used in any targeted killing in the past.

Investigators visited the varsity campus and seized Dr Rehman's computer, while also seeking the details of at least 10 students in the mass communications department. Members of the student wings of various political parties operating in the university were also believed to be among those whose details were requested by the police; however, their identities were not disclosed.

The KU administration has yet to provide the details of the students to the police. Prof Dr Mehmood Ghaznavi, the chairperson of the mass communications department, confirmed the police request, telling The Express Tribune that they had asked the police to approach the varsity through the proper channel — the registrar office.

Earlier, a team headed by Investigations SSP Arib Maher, which was constituted to probe the case, had met the KU vice-chancellor and faculty members on campus.

"This is still a blind case," SSP Maher told The Express Tribune. "Asking for the details of students, seizing the computer — this is part of the investigation since we are looking into the case from all angles and anything may prove to be helpful."

High-profile murders

Apart from Dr Rehman's case, the police have also failed to make headway in at least five more high-profile murders that occurred in the city in the past three weeks.

The police have not found any concrete leads in the murders of human rights activist Sabeen Mahmud, Bin Qasim DSP Abdul Fateh Sangri, Preedy SHO Aijaz Khawaja, Pakistan Herald Publications marketing director Masood Hamid and MPA Javed Nagori's brother, Akbar Nagori.

Meanwhile, investigations into an attack on US citizen and Jinnah Medical and Dental College vice-principal Debra Lobo have not produced answers either.

Police officials claimed that Lyari gang members were thought to be responsible for Nagori's murder, while Lobo was apparently attacked by militants affiliated with the Islamic State.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2015.