The root of all evil?: Two men killed in Hyderabad over separate monetary disputes

One of them was reportedly shot dead as he was trying to take over land he had sold earlier.

HYDERABAD: Two men were killed on Monday in Hyderabad over separate monetary disputes.

Forty five-year-old Ghulam Ali Qureshi was shot dead during the early hours of Monday morning by a group of armed men outside his residence in Gharibabad. During the scuffle, one attacker also sustained bullet wounds and was later arrested from the hospital where he was seeking treatment. The suspect, who the police identified as Junaid, is in critical condition and has been shifted to Karachi for treatment.

SHO Wahid Bux Laghari said that Qureshi’s family was involved in a financial dispute with another. They moved to Gharibabad three years ago when they started feeling that their lives were in danger.

Following the incident, Qureshi’s family and neighbours blocked the National Highway near Pathan Colony and offered the victim’s funeral prayers there. After this, they protested against the incident and pelted passing vehicles with stones. They also burnt tyres and forced nearby shops to pull their shutters down.

Altaf, the victim’s son, alleged that the police aren’t arresting the culprits even though the family has already given them the suspects’ names. The protesters dispersed after the Rangers and police officials assured them that the culprits would be apprehended soon. No case was registered till the filing of this report.

In a separate incident, 47-year-old Ali Nawaz Mallah was killed and two other people injured when they reportedly tried to take over land they had sold earlier to a builder. The incident happened within the jurisdiction of the Hatri police station in Hala Naka.

SHO Manzoor Wadhu said the Mallah community had sold a piece of land to a builder who had reportedly kept delaying payments for the plot. On Monday, members of the Mallah community tried to occupy the land but armed men hired by the builder shot at them. As a result, Ali Nawaz died while Ghulam Murtaza Mallah and Hassan Mallah were injured.

A protest erupted shortly after the clash. A mob headed to the plot where they damaged three cars owned by the builder. They also blocked the National Highway near Isra University till the evening. According to the SHO, no arrest were made and an FIR has yet to be filed.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2013.