Targeted attacks: Police suspect militants killed policemen in Hyderabad

In the last 54 days, around nine officers have been shot dead in separate attacks.

HYDERABAD: The last two months have not been good to the policemen of Hyderabad. Around nine of them were gunned down in five separate incidents all in a span of 54 days. Four others were killed in November last year while having dinner at a restaurant. 

The last attack, which took place on July 6, also took place in Latifabad. Three police constables of the A-Section police station were shot dead by unknown assailants during snap checking.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility for one of these attacks -November 26, 2013, but no individual or group has claimed responsibility for the six others.

The investigations which are still at the initial stage suggest that the attacks can be linked to what is happening in the country and the military operation in Waziristan.

According to the DIG of Hyderabad, Sanaullah Abbasi, they have reason to believe that a splinter group of militants is behind the attacks. He said that this particular group operates from Hyderabad and Karachi. “It comprises mainly of people who were recruited and trained by the Harkatul Mujahideen years ago,” he said. “But, these people parted ways with the organisation and are now operating independently.”

He added that a ballistics report of the weapons used in three attacks in which nine policemen were killed indicated that the same 9mm pistol was used.

The DIG claimed that, in a confession, a criminal identified as Adnan alias Adu, said that he had killed two policemen outside a residence in Hussainabad on May 24. This was one of the three incidents in which the same weapon was used. Adu was killed in a police encounter in Tando Jam, Hyderabad on June 23.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the police official said that Adu was thought to be involved in the Lyari gang war and politically affiliated but they were tracking his phone calls and traced them to Muzaffarabad. This, he said, suggested meant that he might have links with militants.

Another reason the police believe the same group is behind the attacks is because of information provided by a militant kept behind bars in Hyderabad Central Jail. The DIG identified him as Farhan and said that he had admitted to killing a dozen policemen and political workers.

The DIG said that the man had done his postgraduate in computer sciences and was the alumnus of a well-known school in Hyderabad, St Bona Ventures High School. He added that the inmate's family, his brother was settled in Canada and sister was residing in Saudi Arabia. Farhan, according to Abbasi, has accepted links with the group and has shared some information with the police.


So far the police believe that only two of the 13 policemen were not killed by the group or other elements.

On May 14, police constable Muhammad Faisal was killed in rioting while another police constable, Khuda Bux, who was posted at the Rapid Response Force, was killed over a personal dispute.

The remaining 11 killings continue to elude the police as they have yet to officially charge anyone for these attacks. They have, for legal purposes, booked FIRs against unidentified suspects.

In the aftermath of the July 6 killing of three policemen, 12 suspects including members of Adu’s family and his friends were arrested for an investigation. Some of them were released later.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2014.