Family accuses police of ‘extra-judicial murder' in Karachi

Claims cops mistook Faisal for drug dealer Sartaj, gunned him down outside mosque

KARACHI:

The family of a young man who was killed during an alleged encounter with the police Sohrab Goth earlier this week accused the law enforcers on Sunday of carrying out his ‘extra-judicial murder.'

A video circulated on social media by the deceased's cousin, Irfan, claimed that the New Karachi Industrial Area police had killed Faisal Abro, who, according to him was not a criminal but an ‘innocent man.' He added that the police had claimed to have killed a drug peddler, namely Sartaj alias Taju.

According to Irfan, Faisal had arrived in Karachi from his hometown, Larkana, earlier this week to attend a wedding ceremony. “He was taken into custody by the police at a mosque where he had gone to offer Friday prayers. Worshippers told me that he kept shouting that he was not Sartaj, but the police took him outside the mosque and shot him in the head multiple times.”

He went on to say that the police then took Faisal with them and later claimed they had killed a drug peddler. Faisal's family termed the incident an act of ‘extra-judicial murder.'

The mosque's prayer leader also confirmed in a video that Faisal had been taken away by the police.

New Karachi Industrial Area SHO Younus Khattak, however, claimed that Sartaj's real name was Faisal Abro. The police further added that he was wanted in 12 criminal cases, while his brother Iqbal, whose real name was Abdul Ghaffar Abro, had been arrested in a case related to drugs as well.

Refuting the statements made by Irfan and the prayer leader, he said the matter would be clarified in the inquiry.