KARACHI, April 5: Targeted attacks in different parts of the city claimed the life of three policemen and a university student, while Malir SSP Rao Anwar Ahmed Khan survived a ‘suicide attack’ on his squad near the Malir Halt bus stop on Thursday.

Armed men in separate assaults executed their targets without facing any resistance from the law-enforcement agencies as scattered incidents of firing continued in the city for more than two weeks.

In a pre-dawn attack, a car (SP-0461) of the Ferozabad police station was sprayed with bullets by gunmen riding half a dozen motorbikes and two cars near Meena Bazaar and Aata Chakki bus stop in PIB Colony.

A police officer, a head constable and a constable travelling in the car were killed on the spot as the firing was so intense that the victim law-enforcers had no time to retaliate.

“It was a little before 5am,” said PIB Colony SHO Inspector Shahrukh.

“It was so early that we have multiple accounts of witnesses that led us to determine that the attackers were on motorbikes and cars as well. The policemen killed were posted at the neighbouring Ferozabad police station and deployed here in our area for security as additional force is called in under regular practice considering the vulnerable situation of the area.”

The bullet-riddled bodies were later shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where the victims were identified as 42-year-old Assistant Sub-Inspector Dhani Bukhsh, 38-year-old head constable Ramzan Brohi and 32-year-old constable Mohammad Nisar.

Two of them hailed from the interior of Sindh and one from Hazara division.

Heavy contingents of law-enforcers cordoned off the crime scene and police investigators collected more than 35 spent bullet casings.

“The attackers used 9mm and 30-bore pistols as well as sub-machine guns,” said an investigator.

“The car was stationary when the gunmen opened fire on it. The attackers fired at the policemen from a very close range. They took away two SMGs and a TT pistol of the deceased policemen,” he said, adding that the incident showed that the victims were not even able to return a single fire.

He said the PIB police later registered an FIR (91/2012) under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 392 (punishment for robbery) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the behalf of state. A Section 7/8 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 was also incorporated in the FIR lodged against unidentified suspects, he added.

The official said: “Only last week a senior activist of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and his elder brother were shot dead in a similar pre-dawn attack in PIB Colony. However, it would be a little early to relate the fresh incident to the recent history of violence in the area.”

The funeral prayers of the policemen were later offered at the police headquarters in Garden. Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Hussain Wasan, Sindh Inspector-General of Police Mushtaq Shah and senior police officers attended the funeral.

On the occasion, the minister announced Rs2 million as compensation for the heirs of each policeman killed in the attack.

The bodies were then transported to their native towns. ASI Bux hailed from Naushahro Feroz, head constable Barohi from Sukkur and constable Nisar from Haripur.

Just a few hours later the city witnessed a ‘suicide attack’ on the SSP’s squad near Malir Halt.

While the investigators were busy connecting dots between the two attacks on their colleagues, a student of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology was shot dead in a ‘sectarian’ attack in Sector 15 of Buffer Zone in the afternoon.

Ahmer Abbas, in his mid-20s, was hit by a bullet fired from a very close range.

“The victim hailed from Gilgilt and had been living in a rented house with other university students from his native town,” said an official at the Taimuria police station.

“Abbas was near his home when gunmen riding a motorbike emerged there and fired multiple shots at him. He was hit by a bullet in the head and died on the spot.”

The official said police did not rule out a sectarian motive behind the killing that caused tension in Ancholi, Soldier Bazaar and some other parts of the city where mostly people belonging to the victim’s community live.

However, no untoward incident was reported in those areas.