KARACHI, Sept 10: Eight people, including two policemen, two members of the Bohra community and a Muttahida Qaumi Movement activist, were gunned down in the city in targeted attacks apparently on sectarian and political grounds.

Karachi’s Central district has become a troubled part of the metropolis, where five people, including two policemen, were killed only in the evening.

Police said that two policemen of the Hyderi Market police station were shot dead in a North Nazimabad locality on Tuesday evening.

SSP-Central Amir Farooqi told Dawn that the policemen were standing near their mobile van at the Landi Kotal Chowrangi in North Nazimabad when gunmen fired at them and fled.

Constables Mohammed Ali and Haris Iqbal sustained multiple bullet wounds and died before any medical aid could be provided to them.

A policeman belonging to the Hyderi Market police station was killed earlier this week.

Man, son killed in ‘sectarian’ attack

A man and his 10-year-old son were gunned down near UP Mor in North Karachi on Tuesday evening in a suspected sectarian attack, police said.

The SSP-Central said that Mustansar Hussain 40, and his son Mustafa Ali were travelling in a rickshaw when armed motorcyclists fired at them and rode away.

The wounded were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where doctors pronounced them dead on arrival.

The victims belonged to the Bohra community.

The SSP believed that it was a case of targeted killing.

Imambargah trustee shot dead

A trustee of an Imambargah was gunned down in a suspected sectarian attack in Nazimabad on Tuesday evening.

Police said Mohammad Raza, 40, was targeted by two armed motorcyclists in Gol Market, Nazimabad. He sustained three bullet wounds and was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

“Apparently, the murder was an outcome of sectarianism,” opined the SSP-Central.

He said the victim was a trustee of Noor-i-Iman mosque in Nazimabad. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Majlis Wahadat-i- Muslimeen condemned the killing of the trustee.

MQM man gunned down

A worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was gunned down in Orangi Town on Tuesday, police said.

They said that Rasheed aka Nagra, 40, was sitting at his restaurant in Sector-11 ½ when two gunmen targeted him and fled. He was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

The victim was an activist of the MQM, said Iqbal Market SHO Amjad Kayani.

He said that tension gripped the locality following the killing.

The victim was also a former in-charge of Unit-124 of the MQM’s organisational structure and a former naib nazim of UC-5.

Vegetable seller killed

A vegetable seller was shot dead by armed motorcyclists in New Karachi Industrial Area.

Police said the some vegetable sellers were going to the Sabzimandi in a truck as per their routine in the morning when two gunmen riding a motorcycle signalled them to stop in New Karachi’s Sector 11-J. The driver tried to speed away, but the suspects opened fire on the truck and fled.

Two bullets hit Nasir Attari, 40. He was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

Area SHO Ali Hasan said that the police got a clue to the identity of the killers. He, however, said that the exact motive for the murder was not known.

Killing in Napier

A rickshaw driver was shot dead and a passer-by sustained injuries in the Napier area on Tuesday, according to police.

They said that Salahuddin, 40, was riding his rickshaw when gunmen opened fire on him near Old Haji Camp. He and a passer-by, identified as Adnan Rafiq, 25, suffered bullet wounds and were shifted to the Civil Hospital Karachi where Salahuddin, a resident of Saeedabad, was pronounced dead.

The police suspected some personal enmity as a likely motive for the killing.

Man killed over monetary dispute

A man was killed over a monetary dispute in Jamshed Quarters on Tuesday.

Police said that there was some monetary dispute between Raees Younus, 25, and Jameel Ahmed and on Tuesday the latter hit the former with a heavy stone near Gurumandir causing his death.

The police said that the suspect had been taken into custody.

Body found

The body of a man was found near the railway tracks in Malir Halt. The victim was identified with his computerised national identity card as Yunus Siddiqi, 60, a resident of Malir.

Police said that he was hit by some hard and blunt weapon.

The body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities.

Suspect killed in ‘encounter’

A suspected criminal was shot dead in an alleged encounter in the Fisheries area on Tuesday.

A spokesman for the Rangers said that the paramilitary troops carried out an early morning raid in the Fisheries area. An encounter ensued between the Rangers and the criminals and both sides traded gunfire.

A suspect, identified as Shafi Pathan, was killed in the encounter, the spokesman said, adding that two suspected criminals were also detained.The Rangers did not disclose their identity.

The spokesperson claimed that Shafi was wanted in several criminal cases.