Investigations: Target killers involved in 300 murder cases, says police

The two criminals were gunned down by police after they had killed a shopkeeper in Nazimabad.

KARACHI: Law enforcement agencies claimed that the two target killers, gunned down in an encounter with the police in Nazimabad on Monday, were 'hit men' affiliated with the banned Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The two target killers were gunned down by the police, minutes after they had murdered a shopkeeper at Nazimabad's Old Urdu Bazaar and injured a member of the Dawat-e-Islami, Maulana Zafar Aslam, near Baqai Hospital, in consecutive targeted attacks. Both criminals were killed after an exchange of fire with the New Karachi SHO Chaudhry Afzal who was passing through the area.

Their bodies were later shifted to the Edhi morgue, Sohrab Goth, for identification where police, through their informers, identified them as Mohammad Ali alias Samar Abbas, a resident of Hassan Colony in Gulbahar, and Bakir Ali, son of Akhtar Ali, a resident of Jafer Tayar Society in Malir.

An FIR on the charges of murder, attempt to murder and police encounter was registered against them at Nazimabad police station. Police officials believe that the two criminals were also involved in various other crimes, especially in the recent cases of targeted killings.

Despite the fact that they had been identified, their bodies are still kept at the Edhi morgue as the police would not allow their families to take their bodies for burial.

Nazimabad SHO Ejaz Lodhi said that the deceased were members of the banned sectarian outfit, Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan, and were involved in more than 300 cases of target killings. "Samar Abbas was the ring leader of the target killers' chain. He alone was involved in more than 300 target killings," said SHO Lodhi, while speaking to The Express Tribune.

"In the past, Samar Abbas' team members, Qalbe Abbas and Farhat Abbas, were also arrested. During the course of interrogation, they had also revealed that Samar Abbas was their ring leader and was involved in hundreds of targeted killings."

Farhat and Qalbe had even boasted that no one could apprehend their leader as he was a sharp shooter himself.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2014.