‘Cop had gone to collect bribe when he was killed’

Sindh Police examining whether deceased was shot at the crime scene or at another location

KARACHI: The murder of a police personnel on Wednesday night, which was initially reported to be an act of targeted killing, has taken a twist as investigators struggle to make sense of the contradictory statements of other police personnel allegedly present on the scene as well as piecing together the timeline of events leading up to the murder.

The incident took place near the Rexer Bridge, close to the Lyari Expressway. One police official, Sohail Shah, was killed while another, Farhad, was injured in the incident. Both personnel were in plain clothes at the time of the incident. Shah was posted to the Brigade Police Station, while Farhad was posted to the Pak Colony Police Station.

Soon after, the Sindh Police chief, IGP Kaleem Imam, took notice of the incident and sought an inquiry report into the incident.

The twist

According to police sources, investigators believe that the police personnel were not shot at the site where they were found. The blood stains at the site, however, tell a different story. It is possible that the police personnel were brought to Rexer Bridge after being shot at another location.

Initially, police had confirmed the presence of two police personnel at the site. The next day, however, it emerged that there was a third police personnel, Arshad Malangi, who is also posted to Pak Colony Police Station and was present at the scene with them. Malangi, unlike his colleagues, was not injured in the incident. Shah, meanwhile, had sustained six bullet wounds while Farhad was shot once in the arm.

Investigators are also probing whether the incident emerged out of a personal dispute between the police personnel. They have collected four spent casing of a 9mm pistol from the site. The casings will be sent to the forensic laboratory to determine whether

According to sources, the injured police official, Farhad's official weapons are also missing. The three policemen had allegedly gone to collect a bribe from drug addicts, when the incident occurred. Drug peddlers or a gang may be involved in the attack, said one police official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Contradictory statements

According to investigators, there are contradictions in the statements of Malangi and Farhad. According to Malangi's version, Farhad called him to the scene after the firing incident, while Farhad claims all three were present on the scene at the time of the incident.

The father of the deceased police personnel was also martyred in 2010. Sohail Shah's funeral held at Allah Wali Mosque near Pak Colony Police Station after Zuhr prayer, after which he was buried at the Meva Shah Graveyard. 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 28^th, 2018.