Targeted attack: HR employee of media house gunned down in Karachi

Noman Ali Rajput had left his office and was on his way home when he was shot behind Hyderi Market

KARACHI:

In what appears to be a targeted killing, a young employee of a private television channel was shot dead in a drive-by shooting early on Thursday.

Noman Ali Rajput, an assistant vice-president at the company was serving as the acting head of its human resources department, since the arrest of its vice-president Ali Abdul Ghaffar in a fake degrees case.

Rajput had left his office and was on his way home when he was shot behind Hyderi Market in North Nazimabad Block-E, said his colleague, Hassam. Before he left the office, he sent a text message to a news team regarding a meeting tomorrow.

Earlier the police had termed the incident as a mugging or carjacking attempt, however, the deceased's colleagues rejected this claim. The manner in which the murder had been committed made it seem like a targeted attack, said his colleague.

"His car was insured. If it was a mugging, he would have given up his car," he said. "Usually in drive-by robbery bids, the muggers break the windows or shoot at the door to terrorise the victim and to stop him. But nothing of the sort happened here."

Rajput was driving his black Honda Civic when he was intercepted on the service road by armed motorcyclists. They pulled the door open and then  shot him at point-black range. He was initially rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where he was given emergency treatment. He was then taken to Aga Khan hospital where the doctors pronounced him dead.

His car was taken to North Nazimabad police station to collect evidence and for other legal formalities. The police have yet to register an FIR.

Rajput was a resident of Garden. He leaves behind a widow, a five-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2015.