KARACHI: Police officers investigating the six attacks on women having different family and educational backgrounds with different age groups in various parts of Gulistan-i-Jauhar appear to be still clueless about the identity and possible motive of the perceived lone attacker despite the passage of a week, which prompted the authorities to announce a reward for information leading to the arrest of the culprit.

Last week, fear gripped residents of Gulistan-i-Jauhar after reports surfaced of a “knife attacker” targeting women in the area. Subsequently, the police had launched a manhunt and an investigation into the motive and identity of the attacker.

Karachi East Zone DIG Sultan Ali Khowaja told Dawn on Monday that six suspects had been detained for interrogation to find a clue to the attacker.

About the number of such attacks that had taken place in various parts of Gulistan-i-Jauhar, the DIG said that so far the police had registered cases of six attacks on women. Certain TV channels had reported that at least nine women had been injured in the middle-class locality in such attacks.

The police also said that at this stage nothing concrete could be said about the “belief system” of the attacker. However, Mr Khowaja said that investigations suggested that those attacks were carried out by a lone person, ruling out the possibility of any group or gang behind the attacks.

“The attacker appears to be a psychotic person,” said the DIG East. “Therefore, the police have not invoked terrorism charges as there are no religious or political motives for these incidents.”

Five victims sustained minor injuries and were discharged from a local hospital after first aid and only one woman had received stitches.

Regarding the weapon used in the attacks, the DIG said it appeared to be a scalpel used in surgeries. He said that only one victim told the investigators that before attacking her the suspect had said: “Now something is going to happen to you.” All other women told the investigators the suspect just attacked them and fled.

The senior officer said that he had announced a Rs500,000 reward for anyone providing information leading to the arrest of the suspect.

Two police officials suspended

Police authorities on Monday suspended two police officers for allegedly using abusive language against a citizen on Sharea Faisal which also prompted Inspector General of Police A.D. Khowaja to order an inquiry into the incident, officials said.

Taking notice of the policemen’s misbehaviour with the citizen on the main thoroughfare, whose footage was being run on social media, the provincial police chief appointed Security-I SP Malik Ehsan as an inquiry officer to conduct a thorough probe into the incident and submit a report to him, said a police spokesperson.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2017