Serial killer on the loose in Shujaabad

Residents demonstrate against police for failure to provide security.

MULTAN: Four people have been killed and three injured in Shujaabad by a man, reported by the injured to be Punjabi speaking, in one week.

The deceased include prayer leader Muhammad Akhter, watchman Azmatullah and traders Ibrahim Nomani and Jan Muhammad.

All seven attacks have taken place around the Fajr prayers. The injured said they were attacked on their way to the mosque.

“I heard someone cussing at me in Punjabi. Suddenly a man appeared from a side and stabbed me with his dagger,” said Shafiq Khan, who was discharged from the tehsil headquarters (THQ) hospital three days later. He said he was lucky the man stabbed him only once. “He fled on hearing noise of people coming out of the mosque,” he said.

On Saturday, scores of people gathered at the Thana Chowk to protest against the police for its failure to trace the killer.

Charged protesters burnt tyres on the road. Some attempted to break into the Saddar police station but were prevented by traffic wardens. The protesters marched on the Tehsil Municipal Authority office and staged a sit-in over there.

Traders Omar Farooq, Haji Abdul Razzak and Aftab told The Express Tribune that killings had spoiled the atmosphere of the city. They said more and more people preferred to say Fajr and Isha prayers at their homes.

“What is the use of the police when it isn’t able to provide security to the citizen,” they asked. They demanded that DSP Sibte Hussain Shirazi, City SHO Khalid Khan and Saddar SHO Irshadul Hasan should be suspended from duty on account of their failure to trace the killer.

The protesters dispersed after Saddar SP Karamat Malik arrived on the scene and assured them that the police would soon arrest the killer.

Talking to the Tribune, he said in such cases it was not easy for the police to track the killer on their own. He said they needed cooperation of the citizen and that he would soon form a team including policemen and citizens to take action in the case. He, however, did not say when this team would be set up.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2011.