Same culprits behind Friday’s attack, others on cops

Ballistics reveal weapons used in attack on Traffic DSP, guard same as two other attacks

KARACHI: Depending solely on the forensics report, investigators believe that the group behind the targeted killings of Traffic DSP Hanif Khan and his security guard-cum-driver Sultan Ahmed was the same group behind the series of major attacks on the police in Karachi, The Express Tribune learnt on Saturday.

But the police, Rangers and, particularly, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) investigators probing the deadly attacks on police officers, are still empty handed in terms of concrete evidence and leads that will allow them to arrest members of the groups openly targeting law enforcers in the streets and main arteries of Karachi for the last seven months.

"The bullets fired from the weapon used in the killing of the traffic DSP have been matched with weapons used in at least two previous attacks on police officials in Karachi," disclosed a senior police officer privy to the matter requesting anonymity. "The ballistics cross-matching suggests that the same weapon used in the traffic DSP’s murder was earlier used in the attacks on the police in SITE and Dhoraji areas."



ASI Mohammad Yousuf and police constables Shabir, Khalid and Israr were shot dead in Site when armed motorcyclists targeted them when they were breaking their fasts on June 23. ASI Iftikhar and head constable Raja Younus were killed when armed motorcyclists opened fire at a New Town police mobile in Dhoraji on May 20.

Newly emerged militant group Ansaral Shariah Pakistan had already claimed responsibility for the attack on the police in SITE and the traffic DSP’s killing by throwing their pamphlets at the crime scenes.

Three policemen and a passer-by child were killed when armed gunmen riding at least three motorcycles opened indiscriminate fire at a police mobile van of the Awami Colony police station near Darul Uloom in Korangi on July 21. A police traffic warden, Khan Muhammad, was killed and another critically wounded in a firing incident while they were on duty on Abul Hassan Ispahani Road on July 24.

"Now it has been [determined] that one group of militants was behind these three major attacks on police in Karachi [in SITE, Dhoraji and Azizabad]," explained a senior police official. "Another group is behind the two other major incidents that occurred on Abul Hassan Ispahani Road and in Korangi neighbourhood," he said.



The officer said that now four cases are pending in which four policemen were killed in four separate incidents of targeted killing. "It has been determined that two groups of militants are involved in five major attacks on the police in Karachi. It could be possible that these two sleeper cells belong to one organisation but are working separately," explained the official. "Now it has to be ascertained who is involved in the individual killings of cops in Karachi."

Karachi has witnessed nine consecutive attacks on police officials since the beginning of 2017. A day has passed since the targeted killing of Traffic DSP Khan who, along with his guard, was gunned down in District Central.

Traffic DSP Khan and his guard were targeted while on patrol in Azizabad on Friday, raising the death toll of police officials killed in targeted attacks to 16.

The recent attack case was registered with the CTD and its investigation has also been transferred to the department. However, the CTD has yet to make any breakthrough in the case.



"All the cases of police killings in Karachi are being investigated by different wings of the CTD but all the wings have so far failed to solve a single case or even identify any of the suspects, despite having all the resources," lamented a senior police official.

"They have their expertise in probing these cases but despite having forensic reports, footages, sketches, witness accounts, access to interrogate already arrested militants of different banned militant outfits and the groups' claiming responsibility, these investigators remain clueless,” he said. “Even after the passage of seven months, investigators have yet to ascertain whether a single group of militants or two or more groups are involved in the series of attacks."