University student shot dead by trigger-happy muggers in Karachi

Jamali Bridge area on Superhighway becomes hotspot for snatchings

KARACHI:

The young son of a renowned gold trader was shot dead while resisting a robbery attempt on Jamali Bridge near Superhighway on Wednesday.

The victim, identified as Muhammad Nihal, was a university student and the only child of his parents, who hail from a family associated with the gold trade, according to Sheikh Muhammad Niaz, a maternal uncle of the deceased. Facing danger with courage, Nihal opened fire in chasing robbers despite being injured.

Niaz, who is a prominent figure in the Liaquatabad Sarafa Market, said that Nihal, a third-semester student in the Department of Architecture, was accompanying his uncle, Sheikh Muhammad Ayaz, on a visit to a family friend in Saadi Town. While returning to North Nazimabad, armed muggers on motorcycles tried to intercept them on Jamali Bridge off Superhighway.

However, Ayaz didn't stop and continued driving, he said, adding that the muggers in their desperation opened fire. Nihal, in the meantime, pulled Ayaz's licensed pistol, loaded it, and retaliated against the attackers. Nihal received a gunshot under his armpit but continued to engage the muggers, ultimately killing one and injuring the other.

Meanwhile, a police party also reached the site and chased the second mugger, who opened fire on the law enforcers. Police returned the fire and the second mugger was also fatally shot in the firefight. The bodies of the two bandits were later shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

Relatives and friends of the deceased young man, along with three other uncles, reached the hospital after learning about the violent robbery. They expressed dismay at the police's handling of the situation. They accused the police of being involved in extortion activities in the area. Nihal's body was handed over to the family after the completion of medico-legal formalities.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Muhammad Ayaz, who also sustained a gunshot wound to his arm, was shifted to a private hospital after receiving initial treatment at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2024.