Ice cream parlour owners, two of five brothers killed in attack near Karachi's Gurumandir

Two of five brothers were killed while two others sustained injuries on Thursday after at least six men on three motorcycles opened fire on their vehicle near Karachi’s Gurumandir area on Thursday.

The fifth sibling miraculously remained unharmed in the attack. The five brothers were heading for a court appearance at the Central Jail, Express News reported.

The rescue officials shifted the bodies and injured to a nearby hospital. The deceased were identified as Shahid and Umair, and owners of the renowned dessert shop Peshawari Ice Cream.

The injured include Wajid, while the fifth sibling Muhammad Shan miraculously remained unharmed.

The victims were said to be residents of Lasbela.

The police claimed to have recovered a total of 17 9mm shell casings from the scene that were sent for forensics, while further investigation was underway.

According to a district east police spokesperson, the preliminary investigation suggests the brothers were targeted over personal enmity.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Jamshed Aleena Rajper said it was a planned attack and vowed to arrest the culprits at the earliest.

In a similar incident, on April 21, a middle-aged businessman was fatally shot allegedly by his friend and cousin outside his house in the upscale Defence Housing Authority (DHA).

The assailant fired a barrage of gunfire, hitting the victim multiple times. The victim, identified as 45-year-old Humayun, died on the spot, while his companion, Hammam Javed, also sustained minor injuries in the assault.

Read Man shot dead, brother injured by robbers

According to a police spokesman, the suspected assailant, identified as Fahad Khan, alias Fadi, reportedly held a personal grudge against the victim, who was his cousin and friend.

Family members revealed that Humayun, a father of two, was a prominent businessman, owning a motorcycle showroom in Akbar Market in Saddar.

In a chilling wave of violence, the metropolitan city witnessed five target-killing incidents in a single month, claiming the lives of seven people from December 2023 to January 2024.

The first incident happened on December 23 when unidentified gunmen shot dead Osama Moon, the son of businessman Saleem Moon, in the New Karachi Industrial Area police station remits of district central.

The second incident occurred on January 9 in Liaquatabad Underpass of district central, where unknown armed men opened fire on a car, resulting in the death of Shakeel Sher, an accounts officer of a bread manufacturing firm. Police categorized the incident as a targeted killing.

The third attack took place on January 9 at a stationery store in Water Pump area near Yousuf Plaza, district central. Unknown gunmen opened fire, leaving two brothers-in-law, Habib-ur-Rehman, 55, and Zia-ur-Rehman, 50, injured. Habib succumbed to his injuries during treatment at the Civil Hospital.

The fourth incident took place on the night between January 10 and 11 near the Model Colony railway gate. Unknown suspects on a motorcycle shot and killed two employees of a sweets shop and injured a third one.

The fifth target-killing incident occurred on January 22 on Abul Hassan Isphani Road in the precincts of Mubina Town police station in district east. Two unidentified suspects opened fire on a milk shop, resulting in the death of Abdul Hadi, the owner, and Muhammad Ayub, an employee, while injuring three others.