KARACHI: There is no respite in the menace of street crimes in Karachi as three more people, including a policeman, were gunned down by armed robbers over resistance in different incidents on Wednesday.

Armed robbers killed a man when he put up resistance to their robbery bid and later gunned down a policeman during an encounter on Manghopir Road on Wednesday, police said.

The Pak Colony police said that an ‘encounter’ took place between Shaheen Force and street criminals near Bara Board where in an exchange of firing, Constable Nihal Zia-ul-Haq was martyred and the robbery victim, Shakeel Ghafoor, 40, also died. However, the robbers managed to escape from the spot.

The victim citizen was a contractor and resident of Old Golimar.

Shah Latif Town residents stage protest over killing of youth by muggers

Keamari SSP Faizan Ali clarified that the robbers had killed the citizen over resistance before the encounter took place.

He said that a police patrol reached the scene and chased the criminals, who opened indiscriminate firing killing the police constable on the spot.

Narrating details of the incident, he said Mr Ghafoor had drawn Rs400,000 from a private bank and was going on a motorcycle when armed motorcyclists intercepted him near Bara Board, held him at gunpoint, snatched the cash and when he offered resistance fired at him and rode away with cash.

He said four policemen riding motorbikes belonging to Shaheen Force were patrolling in the area when they heard sound of gunshots. They chased the fleeing robbers and in an exchange of gunfire one of them suffered bullet wounds in the chest. He was taken to a hospital where he died during treatment.

In the same area, armed muggers shot at and wounded a young man over resistance.

They added that Mumtaz Husain, 25, was shot near an eatery on main Manghopir Road. He was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, Karachi police chief Javed Odho paid tribute to the slain policeman and directed the police officers to take every possible step to arrest the culprits.

Killing in Shah Latif Town

A young man was shot dead by armed muggers when he resisted a snatching bid in Sector B-22 of Shah Latif Town in the small hours of Wednesday, police said.

Shah Latif SHO Awais Shah said that the victim was sitting outside his home when armed pillion riders emerged there, held him at gunpoint and snatched his cell phone. As he resisted, the robbers opened fire on him and rode away along with his phone.

The victim suffered critical bullet wounds and was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

The incident infuriated area people who staged a protest outside the police station off National Highway on Wednesday against the killing and demanded immediate arrest of the suspects.

Wounded PTI worker dies

A worker of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, who was shot at and wounded outside his house in Malik Society in Scheme 33 on Oct 7, died during treatment in hospital.

The Sachal police said that Taha Sheikh, 30, died on Tuesday in a private hospital.

They criticised the police for ‘not showing’ any interest in the case.

The police attributed ‘personal dispute’ as a possible motive for the murder.

On Wednesday, the victim’s mother along with PTI leaders held a press conference to demand justice for her son.

The victim was the personal secretary to PTI MNA Alamgir Khan.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2022