KARACHI: Disappointed with frequent killings of innocent citizens by armed muggers and failure of law enforcement agencies to curb the menace of street crime, enraged citizens once again took the law into their own hands and lynched a suspect on Monday, who shot a young man over resistance in the same Korangi area where a law student was killed one day ago for putting up resistance to bike snatchers.

Korangi SSP Sajid Amir Sadozai said two robbers tried to loot Faizan Qureshi, 34, in R-Area of Korangi-1. As he put up resistance, the robbers shot and injured him. People captured both the suspects and beat them severely before police arrival.

The police took the injured suspects into custody and shifted them to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where doctors pronounced one of them dead.

The police identified the deceased as Irfan, 35, and his injured accomplice as Rashid Aslam, 24.

The injured citizen, Faizan, was shifted to Indus Hospital in Korangi where, according to the SSP, his condition is ‘stable.’

Law student killed over resistance laid to rest amid moving scenes

Early on Sunday morning, a young law student, Azhar, was shot dead by robbers over resistance while a suspect identified as Omar Khan was lynched by a mob in K-Area of Korangi.

Funeral prayers

The funeral prayers of Azhar were held at Eidgah in K-Area of Korangi amid moving scenes.

Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, Jamaat-i-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader Nayar Raza, Mohajir Qaumi Movement chief Afaq Ahmed and others attended his last rites.

Prior to the funeral prayers, Governor Tessori called Shah Faisal Colony SP Wajahat Husain and instructed him to curb street crimes. The officers who demonstrated poor performance should be removed, he suggested, adding that intelligence network should be improved and community policing be given importance in controlling crimes.

Soon after the funeral prayers, the governor visited the Awami Colony police station.

Governor Tessori said that tragic incidents were taking place frequently as previously a student of NED university was shot dead by robbers, then an aspiring lawyer and now another student fell victim to the robbery.

He said he would ask the chief minister to seek report from police within three days as SHOs had to show their performance. If they failed, action should be taken against them, he suggested.

“We are silent on many issues like shortage of power, gas and water, but we can no more remain silent over the killings of young people,” declared the governor. A child of a middle class family got a mobile phone after persuading his elders, but he was killed by robbers over slight resistance.

If police officers solved those cases, he would call them to the Governor House and present them with ‘gold medals’, he offered.

Meanwhile, the area SHO told Dawn that the police were close to ‘solving’ the murder case as they got some clues to the whereabouts of an absconding suspect.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2022