KARACHI, Jan 7: The city police are likely to register a murder case against four officials of the Anti-Car Lifting Cell who killed four young men from Balochistan in an alleged shootout on Khalid bin Walid Road.

Sources told Dawn on Wednesday that the police would register the murder case on behalf of the state on Thursday in case the victims’ relatives did not turn up for lodging an FIR.

They said the suspected police officials would be arrested following the registration of the FIR against them.

The sources said this decision was taken by the police high-ups in view of the suo motu action taken by the Supreme Court which had issued a notice to the Sindh police chief to appear before the apex court on Friday.

The victims – Haji Mohammad Tahir Achakzai, Obaidullah Khan Tareen, Mohammad Ibrahim Achakzai and Zainuddin Khan Achakzai – were killed a little after midnight on Dec 31 by the ACLC team on Khalid bin Walid Road. The victims were Dubai-based businessmen and had come here to celebrate Eid with their families.

The city police chief had suspended members of the team, including the ACLC’s station house officer, and ordered an inquiry under the supervision of the DIG (investigation) after the incident was reported in the media.

The ACLC team, comprising Sub-inspector Irshad, Head Constable Shah Zaman, and constables Mohammed Zaman and Noor Muhammed, claimed that they had fired on the victims’ car in “self-defence”.

However, an inquiry conducted by the SP of investigation (south), established that the incident was the “outcome of criminal negligence of the police party”.

The capital city police chief, Waseem Ahmed, told Dawn that the Sindh police had requested the CCPO of Quetta to approach the victims’ families for lodging the case. “In case they (victims’ relatives) don’t come forward, the police may register a case against the ACLC officials on behalf of the state to proceed as per law,” he added.

The ACLC team had opened fire on the youths’ car with automatic weapons near Tawakkal Motors on Khalid bin Walid Road at around 12.40am. Two occupants of the car were killed instantly and two others, who were fatally wounded, died in the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

According to sources at the hospital’s medico-legal section, three of the four victims received four bullets each and the fourth one was shot thrice.

The Anti-Car Lifting Cell team claimed that the occupants of the car had fired on them and they returned fire in self-defence.

The ACLC men had opened fire on the car by mistake when they and a team of the Boat Basin police were looking for a black Corolla, reportedly belonging to a close relative of a Sindh minister, which was hijacked near the Bilawal Chowrangi in Clifton an hour before the shooting.

The sources said the victims, one of whom was related to Tawwakal Motors’ owner, sped the car to reach the showroom on Khalid bin Walid Road, where the alleged shootout took place.

They said the preliminary inquiry into the incident showed that at least 28 bullets were fired on the victims’ car.

The sources said that 26 bullets were fired from sub-machine guns and two from pistols.

They said four bullets were allegedly fired by the victims on the ACLC team which claimed to have seized two pistols from the victims.

However, the inquiry report disclosed that the police party exceeded the power of self-defence as laid down under the law.

According to sources at the hospital’s medico-legal section, three of the four victims received four bullets each and the fourth one was shot thrice.

The ACLC team saw the car near Bahadurabad and started chasing it. According to the sources, the car stopped at a traffic signal on Shaheed-i-Millat Road before heading to Khalid bin Walid Road.

The sources said the driver sped up as the ACLC team in two private cars and a police van approached them. The ACLC team followed the car and opened fire.

Meanwhile, the Boat Basin police spotted the hijacked car on Sharea Faisal and in an exchange of fire one of the hijackers was injured. His accomplice drove him to the Jinnah Hospital, where he abandoned the car and escaped.

Traders and activists of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) have held a demonstration outside the Balochistan Governor’s House in protest against the killing of the four traders from Chaman in Karachi.