Slum wars: Two Christian youth stabbed in clash

Another two injured as residents stage protests; suspects at large

ISLAMABAD: At least two youngsters were killed and two others were injured when two groups clashed at a slum in the capital late on Thursday night.

Police and eyewitnesses said that the clash broke out after arguments over a petty matter

Two suspects along with four to five unidentified men were allegedly bullying 22-year-old Shehroze Masih at around 10pm in a Sector G-7 slum which is largely populated by members of the Christian community.

Shehroze’s elder brother, Waseem Masih — who was injured in the clash and gave a statement to the police from his hospital bed, said that when he saw that Aneel Masih — alias Teli, and Shahzaib — alias Baau, allegedly harass the young man, he intervened. But the suspects allegedly attacked him with a dagger.

In the ensuing melee, 27-year-old Amjad Masih was stabbed in the chest, killing him on the spot. Shehroze, Waseem and Waqar Masih suffered cuts.

The injured were rushed to the hospital.

Shehroze, who had been critically injured in the clash, died at the hospital on Friday morning due to excessive bleeding.

Both the victims and the suspects lived in the same Christian slum, commonly known as 66 Quarters in Sector G-7. All the victims worked as sanitary workers.

The victims were buried at the Sector H-9 graveyard on Friday evening.

“There was no particular reason behind the clash. It is illiteracy and poverty,” explained a police officer.

Aabpara precinct SHO Abdul Rasheed said that police had conducted raids immediately after the incident but the suspects had managed to escape and were still at large.

Later, a large number of residents from 66 Quarters staged a protest and blocked a road in Sector G-7 for several hours on Friday evening.

Police crack Rs5.4m bank theft case

The police on Friday said they had solved a bank robbery where Rs5.4 million had been stolen from the automated teller machine (ATM) of a bank in Super Market on February 10.

Addressing a news conference at the Kohsar Police Station, SP (City) Ahmed Iqbal said that initially, the bank management had lodged a complaint against three of their own staffers.

However, police investigations unearthed that a Christian sweeper who worked at the bank had hatched the plot to rob the bank along with his friend.

The two suspects were identified as Nabeel Masih and Suleman Sarfraz, both around 20 years of age, and residents of a Christian community in Sector F-6/2.

“They entered the bank from a roof opening on the night of February 10 and took away Rs5.4 million. The stolen money has been recovered from their homes,” SP Iqbal said.

Another police officer said a key and a password are required to open the ATM case to empty its mini-vault. Somehow, the officer explained, that the official responsible for the key left it at his desk on the day.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 17^th, 2018.