CTD officer martyred in Karachi gun attack

Unknown assailants gunned down a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Karachi on Sunday, police said.

DSP Ali Raza was shot and martyred in the Karimabad neighbourhood by two gunmen, CTD deputy inspector general Asif Ijaz Shaikh told reporters at the crime scene. He said that 11 empties of 9mm pistol had been recovered from the spot.

“Terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on DSP Raza as soon as he came out of his bullet- proof jeep near Shakeel Corporation. “As a result, Ali Raza and a private guard were martyred on the spot,” another police official said. “The terrorists fled from the scene soon after.”

The police officer told The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity that DSP Raza was shot from a close range in the head and waist. He was taken to the Abbasi Saheed Hopsital where doctors confirmed his death from the bullet wounds.

DIG Shaikh said that there were two assailants, who were tracking his movement, adding that since his vehicle was bullet-proof, they did not open fire on him on his way. He added that police will leave no stone unturned to track down DSP Raza’s killers and bring them to justice.

Martyred DSP Ali Raza was stated to be a close associate of the late SSP Chaudhry Aslam, who was also martyred in a bomb explosion in Karachi a few years ago.

Raza’s colleagues said that he had played an important role in the Lyari operation in April 2012 in which several activists of banned organisations were arrested.

Medics said that the body of Raza had been shifted to the mortuary after post-mortem. His funeral will be held at the Incholi Imambargah. Raza lived in the Federal B Area, according to the police.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah condemned the attack on DSP Ali Raza and paid homage to the martyred officer and his guard. He also expressed his condolences and sympathies with the families of the martyrs.