Attempt to theft: Police officer, security guard shot dead during armed robbery

KARACHI:

A police officer and a private security guard were shot dead when they tried to foil an armed robbery at a travel agency in Garden on Tuesday.

According to police officials, at least two armed men riding a motorcycle entered the travel agency of the Pakistan International Airlines near Karachi Zoological Gardens and held the employees and the security guard hostage at gunpoint. They also snatched the weapon from the private security guard, Muhammad Rafiq, 40, son of Mohammad Aziz.

At around 1pm, a sub-inspector of the Garden police station, 40-year-old Ghulam Hussain, was carrying out a routine patrol in his police van when he came across the travel agency. Upon hearing cries, Hussain stopped his van but the suspects opened fire. Hussain and the security guard offered resistance and tried to fire back.

As a result, Hussain, Rafiq and a passerby, 18-year-old Mumtaz, were wounded and were rushed to Civil Hospital, Karachi, where the police officer and the guard succumbed to their injuries. The deceased police inspector was the father of three sons and a daughter and was posted to the Garden police station for the last eight months.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Garden SHO Imdad Khawaja claimed that the one of the robbers was also wounded in the exchange of fire but he managed to escape along with his companions.

The culprits managed to escape by taking the advantage of the narrow streets, said Khawaja, who added that the police have traced the group and are conducting raids to arrest them. The police have, however, yet to register the case.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd, 2014.