• Angry mob lynches ‘mugger’ in Korangi
• Three suspects gunned down in ‘encounters’
• Trade body demands arrest of industrialist’s killers

KARACHI: While Karachiites had hardly recovered from the shock of the weekend murder of the young gold medallist mechanical engineer in an incident of motorcycle snatching, armed muggers continued to strike with complete impunity and shot dead an industrialist and a roadside vendor in DHA and Korangi, respectively, on Tuesday.

As the killings of innocent citizens during street crimes continued unabated, the Karachi police in their effort to curb the menace enhanced patrolling and in two alleged encounters gunned down three suspected robbers on Tuesday.

A fourth suspected robber was lynched by enraged mob following the killing of the shoe vendor in Korangi.

A trade body expressed concern over the killing of the industrialist and said that the broad daylight incident would cause a sense of fear among business community that will ultimately affect economic activities in the city.

Factory owner gunned down in DHA

In DHA, armed men riding two motorcycles shot dead an industrialist apparently for not stopping his vehicle, near his residence in Phase-II.

DIG-South Syed Asad Raza said that Asif Salman Balwani, 65, was on his way home in his car after drawing Rs1 million cash from the Boat Basin branch of a private bank.

He said that four armed men riding on two motorbikes chased him and when he reached near his home located on 11th Street, Phase-II at around 1:43pm, they intercepted his vehicle in order to stop him. As he did not stop, the criminals fired two shots and one of the bullets hit him from behind. As a result, the car went out of his control and crashed. The suspects rode away without any loot after private security guards deployed nearby fired into the air.

Mr Balwani died on the spot. The body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities.

The DIG said the cash and his mobile phone were handed over to the victim’s family.

Investigators collected two spent bullet casings from the crime scene.

The DIG said that Mr Balwani was the owner of a factory. He said that the police were treating it as a murder during robbery case.

In a statement, Federal B Area Association of Trade and Industrialists (FBATI) Syed Raza Hussain said that the killing of a businessmen in broad daylight would cause sense of fear among the industrialists and traders.

He demanded that the government arrest the murderers immediately.

Young vendor killed by robbers in Korangi

A young man was gunned down in Korangi by robbers late on Monday night after which one suspect was lynched and another wounded critically by an angry mob, police said.

Zaman Town SHO Malik Ashraf Awan said 20-year-old Abdul Basit was shot dead by two robbers near Nasir Jump when they tried to snatch his cell phone and other valuables but he put resistance.

His relatives told the media that the victim used to sell old shoes. They claimed that the robbers shot Basit after snatching valuables from him. The deceased originally hailed from Quetta.

SHO Awan said that later, the same suspects also looted two other citizens and snatched a cell phone from them in the vicinity of the same locality. However, the victims as well as the area people got hold of both the suspects and subjected them to severe beating.

Someone in the angry mob also opened fire on the suspects, as a result of which both were critically wounded. The police arrived there, took the wounded suspects into custody and shifted them to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where one of them was declared dead. He was later identified as Arshad while the wounded as Yaseen Babu Chandio.

Three suspects shot dead in ‘encounters’

Two suspected robbers were shot dead in an ‘encounter’ in the old city area on early Tuesday morning.

DIG-South Asad Raza said that an encounter took place between two suspects riding a motorcycle and Shaheen Force at Abbasi Chowk in Ranchhor Lines within the remit of the Eidgah police station.

The policemen indicated them to stop but the suspects resorted to firing and, in an ensuing exchange of gunfire, both the suspects were gunned down.

With the help of the Talash device, one killed suspect was identified as Baber who had a past criminal record while efforts were underway to identify the other killed suspect.

The DIG said that the motorcycle in their use was clear yet the owner of the motorcycle had been found to have a criminal record of robbery cases in Malir and Quaidabad. In a separate incident, a suspected robber was shot dead in F.C. Area on early Tuesday morning.

Sharifabad police said two suspects were riding a motorcycle when policemen instructed them to stop for checking. However, they resorted to firing in their bid to flee and in an ensuing exchange of firing in the F.C. Area, one suspect was killed while his accomplice managed to escape.

The police claimed to have recovered a 30-bore pistol, one cell phone and wallet from the killed suspect. The body was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where he was identified as Shoaib alias Shobi.

Central SSP Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqi said Shoaib was a habitual criminal who had established a ‘reign of terror’ in Sharifabad, adding that there were at least 12 FIRs registered against him at different police stations. He was also arrested several times and sent to jail in the past, added the officer.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2024