KARACHI: A son of slain Lyari gangster Arshad Pappu was arrested for his alleged involvement in the March 22 targeted killing of a dismissed policeman and his friend to avenge his father’s murder.

At a joint press conference at the Rangers headquarters, SSP-South Rai Ijaz Ahmed and Rangers Colonel Nasar Minullah said that the held suspect, Alam Baloch, was identified with the help of CCTV footage of the targeted attack on former SHO Chand Khan Niazi and Abdul Rehman.

During initial probe, the Rangers official said, the suspect revealed that he had killed the duo to avenge the kidnapping and murder of his father Arshad Pappu.

He said that former SHO Niazi was allegedly involved in the kidnapping of Pappu and he was facing trial in the same murder case. He was targeted while returning from court on Raja Ghazanfar Ali Road in Saddar.

Investigators cite revenge as motive behind double murder

To various questions, SSP Ahmed said that the held suspect cited “revenge” as the basic motive for the targeted killing. “But we would be in a better position [to comment] after a proper investigation,” he added.

When asked about the December 2021 murder of another dismissed policeman, ex-SHO Javed Baloch, who was also facing trial in the Arshad Pappu murder case, the SSP said that suspect Baloch did not confess to his involvement in this case.

“A final opinion about this case may be given after the arrests of other suspects and their proper investigation,” he said.

He said the held suspect Baloch had no past criminal record. He was riding the motorbike and his pillion-rider fired shots.

Col Nasar said that the Rangers director general had established a special team to look into the broad daylight killing of the dismissed policeman and his friend.

He said that they had “no information that the gang warfare elements have become active again in Lyari”.

“Gang warfare suspects are not active in Lyari,” he said, adding that even the held suspect had cited ‘enmity’ as his motive for the double murder.

The SSP said the police had provided ‘reasonable’ security at the antiterrorism courts and to accused on bail in the Arshad Pappu murder case.

About the cross-matching of the empty shell casings recovered from the crime scene, the SSP said that so far the investigators had not received the report of a forensic analysis.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2022