KARACHI: Police on Friday morning killed a man and wounded his friend when they allegedly did not stop their car in the Civil Lines area, officials said.

The incident occurred at around 4am near the residence of the victims. However, the body and the wounded man were brought to the hospital after a delay of over an hour at 5.20am.

DIG South Sharjeel Kharal said that the police team, which killed the innocent man, committed a “blunder” and said that justice would be provided to the victim’s family.

He said that the police were chasing the victims from Khadda Market in Defence.

“The police party first fired into the air to stop the victim’s vehicle and subsequently fired on the vehicle. As a result, Nabil Hoodbhoy, 40, was killed and Raza Imam, 40, wounded,” a police statement said.

Three policemen have been taken into custody and a murder case has been registered against them

They were taken to the nearby Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), where doctors declared Hoodbhoy dead on arrival. He sustained a single bullet wound in the neck. Imam suffered a bullet wound in the right arm and he was later moved to the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) for further treatment, said JPMC executive director Dr Seemin Jamali.

DIG Kharal told Dawn that a head constable had fired a single shot from his pistol when the victim’s vehicle slowed down on main Fatima Jinnah Road near the PACC. The bullet hit Imam and the same bullet hit Hoodbhoy and proved fatal. Only one spent bullet casing was found from the crime scene, he added.

Three policemen — Sub-Inspector Abdul Ghaffar, Head Constable Aftab and Constable Mohammed Ali Shah — were arrested and a case under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempted murder), 427 (mischief) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 was registered against them at the Artillery Maidan police station on the complaint of the wounded.

The DIG, who also met the wounded at the AKUH, said that they did not stop the vehicle as they feared that they would be detained by the police.

The police claimed that they were signalled to stop on Khayaban-i-Muhafiz and when the police tried to search the vehicle the driver sped away apparently because they had beer.

They said the family of Hoodbhoy was abroad and he lived here alone. He was said to be one of the best tennis players at Karachi Gymkhana. The wounded was his friend and his condition was said to be stable now.

Inquiry ordered

The DIG South said that footage of CCTV cameras had been obtained from the spot and surrounding area. The police have collected all evidence from the crime scene.

“The policemen involved in the killing made a big mistake and will be punished,” he said.

He said that the incident was being investigated by a three-member team, led by the SSP Investigation (South).

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police Dr Syed Kaleem Imam took notice of the incident and sought a detailed report from the DIG South.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2019