Investigations continue: Militant group behind killing of two soldiers,says police
Army men were shot dead in Saddar on Tuesday
The Parking Plaza's cameras were not functioning and investigators have detained at least two operators to question them, however, the police have also obtained the footage recorded by cameras en-route to the crime scene PHOTO: NNI
KARACHI:
Investigators probing the killings of two soldiers in a brazen attack in Karachi suspect that a militant group could have been behind the targeted killing.
Two soldiers — Lance Naik Abdul Razzak and Sepoy Khadim Hussain — were shot dead in a attack in Saddar, one of the busiest marketplaces of Karachi, on Tuesday evening when gunmen targeted their military vehicle near Parking Plaza.
The deadly shooting took place nearly six months after two military police (MP) personnel were killed in a near-identical attack on MA Jinnah Road, a few kilometres away from Tuesday's attack. Investigators suspected that the same group might have been behind both the attacks. "The only difference is that we found the empty shells in the MPs' killings but we did not find any in the recent attack," Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) incharge Raja Omar Khattab told The Express Tribune.
An initial inquiry report has been prepared by the investigators, which states that only two gunmen riding a motorcycle were involved the incident — one of them opened fire at the soldiers using a single small weapon. The gunmen escaped towards Quaid-e-Azam's mausoleum. "Both of them wore helmets to cover their faces," the report stated. "It was a random attack as the militants knew that soldiers generally visit this area but not their exact whereabouts. They attacked the soldiers as soon as they found them."
Despite the passage of more than a day, investigators have not found a single empty shell from the crime scene. "It seems that the culprits did not use a 'bullet catcher' and instead used a handbag," explained Khattab. "It is more comfortable for the criminals to use a handbag instead of a bullet catcher. They put the pistol in the bag and fire the weapon while it is inside the bag, only the barrel is out in the open during the firing."
Case similarities
A similar case has also occurred in the past. The same modus operandi was used in the targeted attack on DSP Majeed Abbas, who was gunned down in June last year in Shah Latif Town's Zafar Town, when unidentified assailants opened fire on a police mobile. "In DSP Abbas' killing, a similar modus operandi was used. The assailants even used handbag during the killing, due to which not a single empty shell was found," said another senior police officer privy to the matter. Investigators believed that a group similar to the one Saad Aziz belonged to could have been behind the incident. "It is confirmed that a militant group is behind the incident but our focus is on determining which particular group it was," explained an officer. "We are also questioning Saad Aziz and his comrades to get any possible clue."
Evidence
On the other hand, a post-mortem report suggests that a total of seven bullets hit the victims. The assailant targeted them from the left side. Four bullets hit Razzak - two to his face and one each to his head and shoulder - while three bullets hit Hussain - one each to his head, shoulder and chest.
The Parking Plaza's cameras were not functioning and investigators have detained at least two operators to question them, however, the police have also obtained the footage recorded by cameras en-route to the crime scene. The police have also recorded the statements of at least a dozen witnesses.
Internal battles
The police of the Saddar police station, which falls in District South's police jurisdiction, and Brigade police station, which falls in District East, fought over jurisdiction. They claimed that the firing started in the Brigade police's jurisdiction while the vehicle hit a wall that fall within Saddar police remits. The case has been registered at CTD Garden against two unidentified persons while the police also placed Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act in the FIR.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2016.
Investigators probing the killings of two soldiers in a brazen attack in Karachi suspect that a militant group could have been behind the targeted killing.
Two soldiers — Lance Naik Abdul Razzak and Sepoy Khadim Hussain — were shot dead in a attack in Saddar, one of the busiest marketplaces of Karachi, on Tuesday evening when gunmen targeted their military vehicle near Parking Plaza.
The deadly shooting took place nearly six months after two military police (MP) personnel were killed in a near-identical attack on MA Jinnah Road, a few kilometres away from Tuesday's attack. Investigators suspected that the same group might have been behind both the attacks. "The only difference is that we found the empty shells in the MPs' killings but we did not find any in the recent attack," Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) incharge Raja Omar Khattab told The Express Tribune.
An initial inquiry report has been prepared by the investigators, which states that only two gunmen riding a motorcycle were involved the incident — one of them opened fire at the soldiers using a single small weapon. The gunmen escaped towards Quaid-e-Azam's mausoleum. "Both of them wore helmets to cover their faces," the report stated. "It was a random attack as the militants knew that soldiers generally visit this area but not their exact whereabouts. They attacked the soldiers as soon as they found them."
Despite the passage of more than a day, investigators have not found a single empty shell from the crime scene. "It seems that the culprits did not use a 'bullet catcher' and instead used a handbag," explained Khattab. "It is more comfortable for the criminals to use a handbag instead of a bullet catcher. They put the pistol in the bag and fire the weapon while it is inside the bag, only the barrel is out in the open during the firing."
Case similarities
A similar case has also occurred in the past. The same modus operandi was used in the targeted attack on DSP Majeed Abbas, who was gunned down in June last year in Shah Latif Town's Zafar Town, when unidentified assailants opened fire on a police mobile. "In DSP Abbas' killing, a similar modus operandi was used. The assailants even used handbag during the killing, due to which not a single empty shell was found," said another senior police officer privy to the matter. Investigators believed that a group similar to the one Saad Aziz belonged to could have been behind the incident. "It is confirmed that a militant group is behind the incident but our focus is on determining which particular group it was," explained an officer. "We are also questioning Saad Aziz and his comrades to get any possible clue."
Evidence
On the other hand, a post-mortem report suggests that a total of seven bullets hit the victims. The assailant targeted them from the left side. Four bullets hit Razzak - two to his face and one each to his head and shoulder - while three bullets hit Hussain - one each to his head, shoulder and chest.
The Parking Plaza's cameras were not functioning and investigators have detained at least two operators to question them, however, the police have also obtained the footage recorded by cameras en-route to the crime scene. The police have also recorded the statements of at least a dozen witnesses.
Internal battles
The police of the Saddar police station, which falls in District South's police jurisdiction, and Brigade police station, which falls in District East, fought over jurisdiction. They claimed that the firing started in the Brigade police's jurisdiction while the vehicle hit a wall that fall within Saddar police remits. The case has been registered at CTD Garden against two unidentified persons while the police also placed Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act in the FIR.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2016.