KARACHI: Six people, including two police officers, were gunned down in targeted attacks on Wednesday, police said.
They said that the station house officer of the Sir Syed Town police station and his friend, a sub-inspector, were gunned down in a North Karachi area in the evening.
SSP-Central Amir Farooqi said that four gunmen riding two motorcycles targeted Inspector Syed Irfan Haider, the SHO, and his friend Sub-Inspector Shahbaz Ahmed of the New Karachi police station, when they were sitting at Anda Mor.
He said that the SHO and the SI sustained seven and nine bullet wounds, receptively, fired from 9mm pistols. They were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where doctors declared them dead.
The SSP said that a guard of the slain SHO was also present near the crime-scene and he fired at the assailants, but they rode away since the guard was standing at some distance.
An official at the Sir Syed Town police station said the SHO had gone to the area for routine snap checking, which was to begin at 9pm. However, he had reached the place at around 8.15pm, while the police mobile van was delayed. In the meantime, SI Shahbaz, who is the investigation officer at the New Karachi police station, arrived there in plain clothes.
He said that both of them were having a chat when they were targeted.
“The double murder of the police officers may be a reaction of criminals against targeted operations,” said the SSP-Central.
However, Karachi West DIG Javed Akhter Odho said it would be premature to link the killing with the operation against criminals. “We have got some leads about the possible identity of the assailants and their motive and investigators are working on it,” he added.
He said 22 policemen have been killed in the west zone of the police during the past two months.
Muttahida man killed in Korangi
Two persons, including a senior worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-backed Muttahida Hazara Organising Committee (MHOC), were shot dead and another man was wounded in a gun attack on the party office in Korangi on Wednesday, police said.
They added that three armed men appeared at the MHOC office in Korangi Sector 33-E and after a heated argument opened fire on the people there. The wounded were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. Doctors declared Mohammad Saeed, 40, and Mohammad Kamran, 30, dead on arrival, said Dr Seemin Jamali, head of the emergency department. She added that another man, Ayub Mumtaz, was out of danger.
Korangi SHO Malik Mazhar believed that real target of the suspects was Mr Saeed. He said the victim was head of the MHOC Unit 7.
The officer believed that the murder could be the outcome of some personal enmity, as the attackers had an altercation with Mr Saeed and others before they fired at them.
Watchman killed
A 45-year-old man was gunned down in the Kalakot area on Wednesday, police said.
They added that Nisar Ahmed was riding a motorcycle when two armed motorcyclists attacked him on Mewashah Road near Kumharwara. He was taken to the Civil Hospital Karachi where doctors declared him dead, the police said.
The victim, a resident of the Khadda Market, was a watchman at a school in Agra Taj, they said.
However, they added, the motive for the killing could not be ascertained.
Young man shot dead
A 22-year-old man, Jehanian Khan, was shot dead in the Gulshan-i-Buner area of Quaidabad, police said.
They added that the body was shifted to the JPMC for a post-mortem examination. They said an investigation was under way to ascertain the motive for the murder.