Police brutality on the rise

Korangi resident shot dead near home; livestock trader dies in Rahuki police custody

HYDERABAD/KARACHI:

Days after a high school student was shot dead in Orangi Town, a resident of Korangi was allegedly gunned down by cops near his home late on Saturday night.

Three policemen were arrested after the case of murder of a youth in another fake police encounter in Korangi Mehran Town was registered against them.

The cops shot and injured Wasif Riaz, 33, as he was walking towards his home, seconds before he had texted, "mom, I am coming home, keep dinner ready." The case was on the complaint of Kashif Riaz, brother of the deceased, against three policemen at the Korangi Industrial Area Police Station.

As per Kashif, his brother, Wasif Riaz, was shot dead in Mehran Town Sector 6/F area of Korangi Industrial Area. The victim was an employee of Kenwood Company near Ghaghar Phatak.

The company vehicle dropped him at the Korangi Crossing on Saturday night and he was travelling toward his home and as soon as he reached the corner of the street near his house, one of the policemen on two motorcycles opened fire, leaving him injured.

Kashif said that according to eyewitnesses, two policemen on a motorcycle fled the scene after the incident. Meanwhile, a police mobile from Korangi Industrial Area Police Station reached the spot and dispersed the enraged people and took away the injured Wasif and a third policeman.

Residents of the area went behind the mobile and saw that instead of taking the injured to the hospital, they took him to Korangi Industrial Area Police Station. Upon receiving the report, a large number of residents reached the police station at which the gate of the police station was closed.

Lawmkers to rescue

As police baton-charged protesting residents, PTI MPA Raja Riaz, PTI MNA Faheem Khan, MQM-P MPA Ghulam Jilani and PML-F workers reached the police station.

MPA Raja Riaz said that initially the gate of the police station was not opened even at his request. However, seeing the political workers, the MPA and Wasif's brother were allowed to come to the police station where Wasif's blood drenched body was found lying inside an Edhi Ambulance.

He said that if his brother had been taken to the hospital in time, he might have survived.

MNA Faheem Khan said that the incidents of police brutality are increasing day-by-day. A few days ago, Orangi Town police SHO Azam Gopang had killed young Arsalan in a fake encounter.

He was also arrested after political interference. He said that 98% SHOs of Karachi police stations are such that they do not even know how to speak Urdu properly. "They only come to Karachi like ministers to earn money. The interior minister should immediately suspend Sindh IGP and the present DIG East, and appoint local officers in such police stations," he demanded.

Post mortem

Body of Wasif Riaz was brought to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for legal formalities about four hours after the incident.

As per MLO Dr Kamran a bullet had hit Wasif in the back which came out of his chest. The bullet was neither fired from a long distance nor was it fired pointblank. Since the victim was shot in the back, he fell to the front, injuring his face.

There were no signs of torture on the body. Immediately after the postmortem, a team of forensic IT department from SSP Korangi office reached the hospital where the thumb impressions of the victim were taken to check the crime record. According to the IT department representative, there was no criminal record of Wasif.

Youth dies in police custody

A young man named Hanif Katiar was allegedly killed in the police custody at Rahuki police station in Hyderabad on Sunday. The bereaved family has accused the station house officer (SHO) Iqbal Abbassi for the alleged custodial murder of 25-year-old Hanif Katiar.

Five policemen including three cops were later booked in the FIR at PS Rahuki on complaint of Hanif's brother Insaf Katiar.

However, all the accused have escaped arrest. According to the complainant, the two brothers left their home in a village in Jhando Mari taluka of Tando Allahyar district on the morning of December 18, 2021, to sell their livestock in a cattle market in Tando Adam, Sanghar district.

They sold their livestock in the market and headed home with cash. As they were leaving the market, SHO Abbassi and three other policemen, who have been nominated in the FIR, and two other unknown persons in civil dress, stopped them. Hanif said the cops started beating Insaf and took him away in a private car.

Around 10am on Sunday they came to know that Katiar has been killed in the police custody and his body has been shifted to the LUH. The PS SHO Rahuki and other implicated policemen escaped with the police and their families claiming to be unaware of their whereabouts. The deceased was allegedly kept locked up in PS Rahuki on Saturday night.

Reportedly, DSP Tandojam subdivision Ali Raza Lashari visited the PS Rahuki on receiving information about the death and he later shifted the dead body to the Liaquat University Hospital. The DIG Hyderabad Pir Muhammad Shah took notice of the incident and directed SSP Hyderabad Sajid Amir Saddozai to submit the incident report.

The police were deployed outside the police surgeon's office in premises of the LUH and the media was barred from entering the facility to know about the initial assessment of the team of doctors conducting the postmortem. Katiar's family also reached the hospital and they held a protest against the police. Later another police inspector took the family with him for a meeting with the SSP.

The SSP reportedly assured them that the police would lodge an FIR and that they would impartially investigate the case. The family after the SSP's assurance received the dead body after the postmortem for the burial rites.