Bandits ‘set free by police’, come back to kill complainant

The suspects were overpowered and handed over to police on Oct 5

KARACHI:

Two brothers running a shop in the Sohrab Goth area had overpowered a robber who had come to their shop on October 5 and handed him over to the police, on Thursday afternoon, the same robber came back with his men and shot dead one of the shopkeepers.

"Police through this act conveyed a message to citizens that they should not resist the outlaws otherwise they would meet harsh consequences," Sindh Assembly Opposition Leader Haleem Adil Sheikh said.

He was talking to the media after offering his condolences to the bereaved family. Citizens of Rajput Society Ayub Goth area apprehended robbers and handed them over to police along with illegal pistol and live bullets. But, the local police set the robbers free and later the same criminals assassinated one of the citizens Rao Aftab in broad day light on Thursday, he said. The law and order situation in Sindh has deteriorated to the worst level, Sheikh claimed.

As per police report, a shopkeeper Rao Aftab, was shot dead during a robbery incident in Ayub Goth, within the Sohrab Goth police limits on Thursday.

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According to police, unidentified robbers had come to Aftab's shop on October 5 and asked for cash. Aftab's brother Shehzad was also present there and both the brothers managed to get hold of robbers.

The brothers managed to snatch weapons, mobile phones, and a motorcycle from the armed suspects which were handed over to the Sohrab Goth police.

However, the same robbers reached Aftab's shop again on Thursday and opened fire on Aftab on his resistance, killing him on the spot. His body was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. The victim hailed from Chakwal.

Meanwhile, Sheikh told the media that police, under the PPP government, are not performing their duties and could be seen protecting land grabbers, selling narcotics and receiving extortion.

Citizens of the entire province, particularly of Karachi, were left at the mercy of outlaws, the Sindh Assembly opposition leader claimed.In deteriorating law and order, the people were not feeling safe and police had lost public confidence while citizens were demanding that Rangers should be deputed in their areas to check the criminals, he observed.

Sindh police have become politicised, he said alleging that SSPs and SHOs are posted on political basis. Having least fear of departmental action, officials at police stations have developed complicity with local criminals, he alleged.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2021.