KARACHI: A suspected robber was lynched by an angry mob after he allegedly shot dead a minor boy and critically wounded another youth when he was running away after a robbery in Machhar Colony on Friday afternoon.

A police officer, however, shared another version of the incident saying that the alleged robber was a local resident and due to a ‘personal matter’ he killed the boy and wounded another youth, upon which the mob beat him to death.

According to Baldia SP Faizan Ali, “An incident of gunshot injury has been reported in Machhar Colony in which two boys were wounded by firing from a dacoit while he was running away. Local police arrived at the place of incident and cordoned off the area and started investigation. Meanwhile it was reported that a local mob gathered around the area, identified the dacoit, captured and killed him,” the SP said.

He added that on further investigation it was transpired that the suspect and the wounded boys lived on a same street and the incident appeared to be a ‘personal issue’.

Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said that the Docks police had brought two boys at the Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi with serious bullet wounds.

She said one of them, identified as Nabi Alam, died during treatment while the condition of second injured teenager, Noor Afsar, 17, was critical.

She said the deceased boy was shot in the chest and the teenager suffered bullet wound in the head.

Later, the police brought the body of the suspected robber, who was identified as Rafiq Mohammed Ali, 20, who died of head injuries.

Docks SHO Pervez Ali Solangi told Dawn that the incident appeared to be an outcome of ‘personal enmity’ and claimed that it was not related to the robbery.

He said Rafiq Ali shot two boys near Siraji Chowk and when the news reached area people they besieged his house, dragged the suspect out of his home, subjected him to a severe beating in the street and bludgeoned him to death with cement blocks.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2022