HYDERABAD: Family members and relatives of a 26-year-old man have accused the Fort police of having killed him in cold blood on Wednesday night. They rejected the police’s claim that Hamza alias Golu, was killed in an encounter while he was trying to rob a citizen near Tara Chand Market.

Placing his body outside the local press club and raising slogans against the police, the family demanded a through probe into the incident and FIR against Fort SHO Imran Rasheed over the ‘custodial murder’.

Hamza, father of three, was a resident of Saifuddin Incline located in the Khata Chowk area. He was operating a charged parking area near Tara Chand Market, opposite New Cloth Market, to earn his livelihood.

Hamza’s brother, Tahir, told journalists that he (Hamza) left home after receiving a phone call on Wednesday night and a little later he (Tahir) received information that he was shot at and taken to the Liaquat University Hospital (LUH).

Tahir said he rushed to the LUH where he came to know that Hamza had received four bullets on his sensitive parts and was brought to the hospital by police. Despite his critical condition, police did not allow his shifting to some private hospital in Karachi, Tahir said. After about five hours, they agreed on his shifting and his maternal uncle, Abdul Tawwab, was transporting him to Karachi but Hamza succumbed to his wounds when the ambulance reached near Bahria Town, he added.

Tahir claimed that the police had been demanding Bhatta (extortion money) from Hamza on and off.

Insisting that the police subjected him to brutal torture in custody, he pointed out that Hamza’s fingers were fractured. He shared Hamza’s some photos with journalists to substantiate his claim.

SHO Imran Rasheed claimed that “Hamza and most of his family members were involved in criminal activities. He was also involved in ‘ice’ (a narcotic substance) peddling, the police officer claimed, adding that there were 12 cases registered against him and he was released from prison on bail recently.

Tahir rejected the SHO’s claims and demanded a thorough probe into the incident.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2025