Trader killed in robbery

A bandit shot and killed a vegetables trader after depriving him of his money in Orangi Town Sector 11.5 on Tuesday morning. The perpetrator arrived and escaped on foot, according to eyewitnesses. The victim, a father of six, had previously fallen victim to robbery on multiple occasions.

As per details, the bandit opened fire when faced with resistance during the robbery at Iqbal Market, Orangi Town, near Siddique-e-Akbar mosque. The victim, identified as 40-year-old Naseem, son Fnof Abdul Rahim, received a fatal gunshot to his head and was pronounced dead on arrival at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

Abdul Jabbar, an employee of the victim, revealed that Naseem was a trader of potatoes and onions. “I reached the late Naseem’s house with a truck Tuesday morning to take him to the vegetable market,” Jabbar recalled while speaking to The Express Tribune.

“As soon as Naseem boarded the truck, a robber swiftly approached, shot him, and fled with the money concealed in a cloth,” Jabbar further recalled but said he was unaware of the exact amount of money stolen by the robber.

He disclosed that Naseem had been robbed several times before but had never resisted. This time, the assailant fired at Naseem before fleeing with the stolen money. “The robber arrived alone on foot and made his escape on foot as well,” he claimed.

According to Rizwan Qureshi, SHO Iqbal Market police station, the truck driver Imran and Abdul Jabbar have recorded their statements with police. “As soon as Naseem boarded the truck, we noticed a man running towards them. I tried to drive the truck away, but the assailant leaped towards Naseem, perched on the footrest outside the truck door, pulled out a pistol, and fired a shot that entered the left side of Naseem’s head and exited on the other side,” Imran recalled.

The assailant took the money from Naseem and demanded money from Imran and Jabbar, who did not possess any. Subsequently, the assailant escaped. Police recovered a bullet casing from the scene.

The deceased used to purchase 150 to 200 sacks of potatoes and onions at a time. The initial assessment suggests that the incident was a robbery that escalated due to resistance. However, further investigation is ongoing.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2023.