City faces spate of violent crimes
Amid a spate of violent crimes in the city, a man slit the throats of his brother’s wife and mother-in-law, a couple were shot dead and their son injured over a property dispute and two youths were hurt in firing in separate incidents on Wednesday.
The police also arrested the suspected murderers of a retired banker and a trader in addition to injuring a robber in an encounter. A youth of the family taken hostage was also injured while resisting the attempted robbery.
Police said the suspect Mubarak stabbed the 45-year-old woman and her 20-year-old daughter multiple times before slitting their throats after midnight in their home in Shahdara. The victims were mother-in-law and wife of the brother of the suspect. The suspected murderer escaped, while the victims died on the spot. Their bodies were taken to Jia Musa for burial after post-mortem.
Read: Sikh trader injured while resisting robbery bid in Peshawar
Police officials said they were yet to ascertain the motive behind the murder and arrest the suspect.
In Nishtar Colony, Iftikhar Ali and his wife Razia Bibi were shot dead and their son Yasir was injured in an armed attack at their home.
Police said the deceased had a property dispute with their relatives. The injured youth was admitted to the General Hospital. Meanwhile, a suspected robber was shot and injured by a Dolphin Squad team during a robbery bid in Factory Area.
Reportedly, three men barged into a house and took the members of a family hostage at gunpoint to loot valuables. A youth, Ali Raza, offered resistance, after which the suspect injured him by shooting.
As the robbers were leaving the house, the victims alerted police on the 15 helpline. As the police reached the spot, the suspects resorted to firing. One of the suspected robbers suffered bullet injuries during an ensuing exchange of fire, while his accomplices fled from the scene.
Awais Mirza, 22, and Mirza Fayaz, 32, suffered bullet injuries in an attack near Adda Plot in Raiwind.
On the other hand, Lahore City Investigations SP Sarfaraz Virk revealed while addressing the media that a close relative of a 78-year-old retired banker murdered had him after torture to loot his belongings.
Announcing the arrest of the suspected killer, he said the victim, Muhammad Rasheed, lived alone in the Ravi Road area. He had no children and his wife had passed away.
The police official said the suspect Shahbaz Shaukat, being aware of the situation, hatched a plan to steal valuables from victim’s house. He conducted reconnaissance and noted that the victim used to leave his home to offer morning prayers in a mosque.
On the day of the incident, the suspect entered the home and started collecting valuables. However, before he could leave, the victim returned home earlier than expected.
The SP said the suspect hid behind a curtain, but the elderly victim noted disturbance in the house and started checking his valuables.
He spotted the suspect hiding in his house, who, after being caught red-handed, beat him up brutally and strangled him to death.
The suspect had collected over Rs1.7 million cash and escaped from the house after the murder, the official said, citing the investigation.
The police official also shared the details of the case of murder of a trader in Misri Shah by his acquaintances from whom he had demand back his money. The victim, Adeel Ahmad, dealt in steel business and had lent money to the suspects, Usman Yousaf and Behroz Khan, who were known to him since long.
When he sought his money back, the suspects asked him to reach Elahi Baksh Park in the night to collect it.
When the victim reached the spot, they shot him dead and fled.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 17th, 2022.