KARACHI: A teenage student and an employee of Daraz e-commerce service fell prey to street crime on Monday as armed muggers continued to strike with impunity in the city despite the presence of thousands of policemen and Rangers personnel.

The situation prompted major opposition parties — the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf — to heap scorn at law enforcement agencies for turning a blind eye to what they call the “dacoit rule” in the metropolis.

While opposition leader Haleem Adil Sheikh of the PTI said that the police were ‘busy’ in installing Pakistan Peoples Party’s ‘flags and camps’ and left the citizens at the mercy of street criminals, the MQM-P slammed Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah for doing politics at a time when robbers turned the city roads into “killing fields”.

The two parties were reacting on the killing of a 19-year-old student, who was shot dead by armed robbers near Rangers Headquarters in Landhi.

PTI, MQM-P slam failure of law enforcement agencies in curbing street crime

Police and witnesses said that the teenager, Usman Saleem, 19, saw armed robbers looting a citizen near Eidgah Ground in Landhi 36-B and in panic he tried to run away but they shot him.

Victim’s maternal uncle Nadeem and one of his friends told reporters that Usman suffered a critical bullet wound in the neck and fell outside the home of his friend. He was rushed to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) where he was pronounced dead.

The uncle said his nephew was killed because he had witnessed the robbers committing the crime. He regretted that the people had been left at the mercy of robbers.

Opposition leader Sheikh reached JPMC and met with the victim’s family.

The MQM-P issued a statement condemning the murder of the teenage student. The party urged the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of worsening law and order situation in Karachi.

Korangi SSP Faisal Bashir, however, said that the police were investigating the matter.

One killed, two hurt upon resistance

In the second incident, an employee of Daraz e-commerce service, identified as Ashok, was shot dead and two security guards — Mehboob Ahmed and Wazir Mohammad — were wounded by armed robbers near Godam Chowrangi in Korangi.

The Korangi Industrial Area police said that the victims were shot because they resisted the armed robbery bid.

The Korangi SSP told reporters that the victims were travelling in a van carrying cash of the e-commerce service when armed robbers in a white car intercepted their vehicle at around 11am. The guards realised that they were robbers and they put up resistance that led to an exchange of firing.

He said that Ashok, a Daraz rider, was killed and the two security guards suffered bullet wounds.

Investigators collected spent bullet casings fired from a sub-machine gun and pistol from the crime scene.

CCTV footage showed that the robbers travelling in a car were chasing the cash van and intercepted it. But when the armed outlaws came out of the car, the exchange of firing took place. One security guard was seen falling on road while another near the cash van. One suspect was wearing a ‘police-like uniform’. The suspects attempted to take away the cash stack after wounding the guards, but failed.

Policeman, two citizens hurt in shootout A policeman and two passers-by were shot at and wounded during an encounter between police and suspected robbers in F.B. Industrial Area.

Policemen travelling in a mobile van indicated two suspects riding on a motorbike to stop near Airlift Company office at Block-22, F.B. Area, but they started indiscriminate firing. Police also returned fire and during the exchange of firing Constable Amir Shahnawaz, 35, and passers-by namely Kamran Shah, 30, and Nasir Ali, 30, got injured.

The suspects managed to escape from the scene.

The wounded policeman was taken to the Aga Khan University Hospital while the citizens were transported to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2022