ISI officer’s father killed by robbers
ISLAMABAD:
The father of a serving Lieutenant Colonel of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) was smothered to death during a robbery in Korang Town late Monday night.
Investigation Officer Munir Ahmed said all the evidence pointed towards a burglary. He suspected that the robbers had killed the man for fear of having been recognised; however, because of the gruesome manner in which he was killed, police have not ruled out the possibility of a targeted murder.
Malik Muhammad Yousuf, father of Lt Col Tariq Malik, was first tortured before being suffocated to death. Deep bruises were found on his arms and both sides of his face. He was also beaten severely. Later, his body was dumped in a plastic bag outside the house.
“It was not clear why the robbers had to keep this
sort of a bag with them during a robbery. Why did they not kill him with a pistol or a knife?” said the investigating officer.
Col Malik, ISI Islamabad chief, was previously living in the house that was robbed. After receiving threats, ISI shifted him along with his family to an official residence in Islamabad.
According to details, on Monday night, six armed men broke into Yousuf’s house and forced three of the inhabitants into one room, where they were hand-cuffed. They kept Yousuf, the father of the ISI officer, with them.
After looting the house, the men dragged him out, making his family believe that he was being kidnapped. But right before leaving the premises, they killed Yousuf.
Yousuf’s son, Lt Col Malik, called Koral police after his sister called him and informed him of the incident.
When Col Malik arrived at the house, he found his sister standing outside, who narrated the night’s ordeal.
She told him that the rest of the inhabitants of the house, including her daughter and a servant, were lying in a room hand-cuffed, while her father had been kidnapped by the robbers. Col Malik freed the two hand-cuffed persons.
Later, however, he discovered Yousuf’s body wrapped in a polythene sheet near the main gate of the house.
“We found deep bruises on both his arms and both sides of his face,” said Ahmed, the investigating officer. “He was also beaten with a stick. Later, it seems he was suffocated when he was wrapped in the bag. The exact cause of death, however, can only be ascertained after the autopsy report.”
Col Malik told police the robbers entered the residence from one of the two open areas of the house, where there are vacant plots.
“The robbers left a lot of chaos in the house,” Ahmed said. “However, the details of which items were stolen have not yet been provided by the victims.”
Police were unable to
record the statements of the inhabitants who were locked in the room. The family said they would only provide details after Yousuf had been buried.
Published in the Express Tribune, June 9th, 2010.
The father of a serving Lieutenant Colonel of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) was smothered to death during a robbery in Korang Town late Monday night.
Investigation Officer Munir Ahmed said all the evidence pointed towards a burglary. He suspected that the robbers had killed the man for fear of having been recognised; however, because of the gruesome manner in which he was killed, police have not ruled out the possibility of a targeted murder.
Malik Muhammad Yousuf, father of Lt Col Tariq Malik, was first tortured before being suffocated to death. Deep bruises were found on his arms and both sides of his face. He was also beaten severely. Later, his body was dumped in a plastic bag outside the house.
“It was not clear why the robbers had to keep this
sort of a bag with them during a robbery. Why did they not kill him with a pistol or a knife?” said the investigating officer.
Col Malik, ISI Islamabad chief, was previously living in the house that was robbed. After receiving threats, ISI shifted him along with his family to an official residence in Islamabad.
According to details, on Monday night, six armed men broke into Yousuf’s house and forced three of the inhabitants into one room, where they were hand-cuffed. They kept Yousuf, the father of the ISI officer, with them.
After looting the house, the men dragged him out, making his family believe that he was being kidnapped. But right before leaving the premises, they killed Yousuf.
Yousuf’s son, Lt Col Malik, called Koral police after his sister called him and informed him of the incident.
When Col Malik arrived at the house, he found his sister standing outside, who narrated the night’s ordeal.
She told him that the rest of the inhabitants of the house, including her daughter and a servant, were lying in a room hand-cuffed, while her father had been kidnapped by the robbers. Col Malik freed the two hand-cuffed persons.
Later, however, he discovered Yousuf’s body wrapped in a polythene sheet near the main gate of the house.
“We found deep bruises on both his arms and both sides of his face,” said Ahmed, the investigating officer. “He was also beaten with a stick. Later, it seems he was suffocated when he was wrapped in the bag. The exact cause of death, however, can only be ascertained after the autopsy report.”
Col Malik told police the robbers entered the residence from one of the two open areas of the house, where there are vacant plots.
“The robbers left a lot of chaos in the house,” Ahmed said. “However, the details of which items were stolen have not yet been provided by the victims.”
Police were unable to
record the statements of the inhabitants who were locked in the room. The family said they would only provide details after Yousuf had been buried.
Published in the Express Tribune, June 9th, 2010.