KARACHI: Zain Hassan Effendi, the great-grandson of Sindh Madressatul Islam (now University) founder Hassan Ali Effendi and maternal cousin of former president Asif Ali Zardari, was shot dead by five attackers inside his home near Quaid-i-Azam’s mausoleum on Wednesday.

Jamshed Quarters police claimed that Mr Effendi, a businessman in his 50s, was shot dead apparently during the robbery resistance in his home in the Cosmopolitan Society near Gurumandir.

SSP East Sajid Amir Sadozai said that five armed men entered the bungalow by scaling its wall and broke the lock of the bedroom of Mr Effendi on Wednesday morning.

Deceased was also a cousin of Asif Zardari

The police said that the gunmen snatched mobile phones, valuables and gold from the residents and opened fire on Mr Effendi when he reportedly resisted the snatching of gold ornaments from his wife. He suffered serious bullet injury and was taken to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

He suffered a single bullet in his mouth, which got stuck in his body and was retrieved and given to investigators, said an official of the hospital.

Mr Sadozai said that police collected six spent bullet casings from the crime scene.

The police officer said the armed men took away one wallet, two mobile phones, a gold ring and a gold chain of Mr Effendi’s wife. The police officer said that the gunmen did not search the home.

Mr Sadozai said that it was still too early to say anything about the incident. The police were investigating the murder to ascertain whether it was a robbery or some other motive was involved.

The British-era Sindh Madressatul Islam (now University) was established in 1895 by Hassan Ali Effendi, who was inspired by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, who had pioneered modern education for Muslims of India by founding the famous Aligarh Muslim University.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah visited the residence of Mr Zain Hassan Effendi and met the grieving family members. Two police mobile vans were deployed at his residence after the murder.

Body found

A man in his early 30s was found dead on the outskirts of the city on Wednesday.

Manghopir police said that one-day old unidentified body of the man with torture marks was found in bushes off the Northern Bypass near Hamdard University. A spokesman for Edhi Foundation said that it appeared that the body had been eaten by animals. The body was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for legal formalities.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2021