Girl says she was out of touch with Hamza for 4 months
She said the same about Shoaib, saying that he had not harrased her.
Deceased Hamza Ahmed .
KARACHI:
With the passage of time, the circumstances surrounding the death of 16-year-old Hamza Ahmed, who was shot dead last month allegedly by a teenager’s guard, are becoming more unclear.
Hamza lost his life on April 27 in an alleged shooting incident in Khayaban-e-Sehar in DHA, within the jurisdiction of the Darakshan police station. He had reportedly met Shoaib Naveed Ahmed and his guard outside Downtown café to settle a dispute involving his girlfriend, M*. The argument got heated and Hamza reportedly slapped Shoaib. In retaliation, Shoab’s guard, Amal Khan, allegedly shot and killed Hamza.
So far, only Shoaib is in police custody while Khan is still at large. Investigators have, however, managed to trace the guard’s whereabouts with the help of data obtained from the private security company which he had been employed for over five years. Khan had served Shoaib’s family for three months at the time of the incident. He didn’t have a criminal record since he arrived in city from his hometown in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Clifton SP Sarfaraz Nawaz said, “It seems as if the guard has run away to his hometown. We are in touch with the KP police. Hopefully, he will be arrested soon.”
But police investigators have hit some hurdles. M - the girl over which the argument allegedly broke out - has said that she had not been in touch with the accused or the deceased for over four months. According to SP Nawaz, M said that Shoaib never teased her. There were three more eyewitnesses who were Hamza’s friends.
A senior police officer said law enforcers have obtained Hamza’s mobile phone records as well as those of Shoaib and M. The weapon used in the killing has been analysed, but the officer did not divulge the details of the forensic report. He added that the case is being investigated very carefully.
In search of justice
Hamza’s family has also started making claims that it was not the security guard but Shoaib who shot and killed him. While talking to The Express Tribune, Talib Sohail Ahmed, Hamza’s father, said, “I can’t believe that the guard - a trained ex-army personnel - could behave in such a manner.”
He also claimed that the three eyewitnesses have not been truthful. “They told me one thing and the police something else. God knows what has happened. But if the police want, it can even turn an elephant into a peacock.”
Hamza’s relatives also claim that Shoaib’s family is influential and is pulling strings to make the police favour Shoaib, giving him a VVIP protocol in the police station. “According to Shoaib, Hamza slapped him as soon as he reached the spot and so he backed away in fear,” said Talib. “What we should question is that if one teenager [Shoaib] got scared from another over a slap, then why hasn’t the police been able to get the facts from him?”
Meanwhile, Shoaib was brought to court on Monday where his remand was extended till May 9.
*Name changed to protect privacy
Published in The Express Tribune, May 7th, 2013.
With the passage of time, the circumstances surrounding the death of 16-year-old Hamza Ahmed, who was shot dead last month allegedly by a teenager’s guard, are becoming more unclear.
Hamza lost his life on April 27 in an alleged shooting incident in Khayaban-e-Sehar in DHA, within the jurisdiction of the Darakshan police station. He had reportedly met Shoaib Naveed Ahmed and his guard outside Downtown café to settle a dispute involving his girlfriend, M*. The argument got heated and Hamza reportedly slapped Shoaib. In retaliation, Shoab’s guard, Amal Khan, allegedly shot and killed Hamza.
So far, only Shoaib is in police custody while Khan is still at large. Investigators have, however, managed to trace the guard’s whereabouts with the help of data obtained from the private security company which he had been employed for over five years. Khan had served Shoaib’s family for three months at the time of the incident. He didn’t have a criminal record since he arrived in city from his hometown in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Clifton SP Sarfaraz Nawaz said, “It seems as if the guard has run away to his hometown. We are in touch with the KP police. Hopefully, he will be arrested soon.”
But police investigators have hit some hurdles. M - the girl over which the argument allegedly broke out - has said that she had not been in touch with the accused or the deceased for over four months. According to SP Nawaz, M said that Shoaib never teased her. There were three more eyewitnesses who were Hamza’s friends.
A senior police officer said law enforcers have obtained Hamza’s mobile phone records as well as those of Shoaib and M. The weapon used in the killing has been analysed, but the officer did not divulge the details of the forensic report. He added that the case is being investigated very carefully.
In search of justice
Hamza’s family has also started making claims that it was not the security guard but Shoaib who shot and killed him. While talking to The Express Tribune, Talib Sohail Ahmed, Hamza’s father, said, “I can’t believe that the guard - a trained ex-army personnel - could behave in such a manner.”
He also claimed that the three eyewitnesses have not been truthful. “They told me one thing and the police something else. God knows what has happened. But if the police want, it can even turn an elephant into a peacock.”
Hamza’s relatives also claim that Shoaib’s family is influential and is pulling strings to make the police favour Shoaib, giving him a VVIP protocol in the police station. “According to Shoaib, Hamza slapped him as soon as he reached the spot and so he backed away in fear,” said Talib. “What we should question is that if one teenager [Shoaib] got scared from another over a slap, then why hasn’t the police been able to get the facts from him?”
Meanwhile, Shoaib was brought to court on Monday where his remand was extended till May 9.
*Name changed to protect privacy
Published in The Express Tribune, May 7th, 2013.