Violence in the South: Three shop owners killed in separate attacks

Personal enmity behind two incidents, suspect police

KARACHI: Three shop owners were shot dead by unidentified armed men in different police remits of District South late Saturday night.

Police believe two of the incidents occurred over personal enmity and another over resistance to a robbery. One of the deceased is the brother of a former police SHO in Karachi.

A thirty-year-old man, identified as Muhammad Irfan, son of Abdul Rasheed, was killed while he was standing outside his vehicle-parts shop in Phase-II, Defence. Police officials, quoting witnesses, said one unidentified armed man walked up to Irfan and escaped after shooting him in the chest. The victim, however, was shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries. The deceased was said to be the brother of Saeedabad police station’s former SHO Nasir Mehmood. Officials said the deceased was a resident of Qayyumabad and used to run his own shop. Police officials said the motive behind the incident has yet to be ascertained, adding that in the past, another brother of the victim was killed in a similar manner in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

Separately, Haider Ali, 48, who was a jeweller by profession, was standing outside his shop at Shah Rasool Colony market in the Boat Basin police remits when unidentified armed motorcyclists shot him dead. He was shot several times and died on the spot. The body was taken to JPMC for autopsy. SHO Naseer Tanoli said the incident seemed to have happened over personal enmity as the victim’s brother and two relatives were killed in similar fashion. Police suspect the victims’ killings are part of a series of recent targeted attacks.

Meanwhile, a public call office (PCO) owner was shot dead in an act of target killing in Korangi Industrial Area. Police officials said the deceased, identified as Muhammad Ibrahim, 30, was sitting at his shop in Qayyumabad when unidentified armed motorcyclists shot and killed him. SHO Abdul Rasool said the incident seemed to have occurred after the PCO owner resisted a robbery attempt.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2016.