KARACHI, Jan 4: In what appeared to be a surge in killings after a one-day gap, at least 10 people, including a police inspector and a political party activist, were killed in different parts of the city on Friday.

With the murder of the police officer of the Special Branch who was posted at the Bilawal House, the number of policemen killed during the four days of this year has reached five.

Last year witnessed the killing of over 120 police officials in the city.

Inspector Abdul Rasheed, 54, was targeted near Inquiry Office in Nazimabad No 2, police said.

“Initially, we received information that the inspector had died in a road traffic accident. It was only after a post-mortem examination that we came to know that he had been shot dead,” said a duty officer of the Gulbahar police station.

He said that an investigation was under way to find a motive for the killing.

The police said that the slain officer was posted at the Special Branch and was presently on duty at the Bilawal House.

Three killed in attack on car

A transporter, his friend and their driver were killed in a gun attack on their car in front of the Hasan Square police headquarters in Gulshan-i-Iqbal on Friday.

Four armed men riding two motorbikes opened fire on the car bearing registration number K-2266 under a pedestrian bridge on Sir Shah Suleman Road within the jurisdiction of the Aziz Bhatti police station.

Transporter Naveedur Rahman, his friend Akhtar Hussain, the car driver, Ashfaq, died in the attack, the police said.

Witnesses were quoted as saying that all the four attackers were wearing helmets. They took away a bag from the car after the shooting.

Aziz Bhatti DSP Nasir Lodhi said that Naveedur Rehman and Akhtar Hussain were residents of Nazimabad No 2.

He said Naveed, who had a transport office at Ghani Chowrangi in the SITE area, had withdrawn some cash from a private bank branch situated close to his office and was heading to Shah Faisal Colony along with Akhtar when they were attacked.

The bodies were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

The police said that Rs54,000 was recovered from the pocket of Naveedur Rehman while his friend was in possession of Rs800. It seemed that Naveed had kept some cash in his pocket after withdrawing it from the bank, the officials said.

Explaining that intense firing was not carried out usually in armed robbery cases, the officials suspected some business rivalry or financial dispute as a likely motive for the killing.

He said that it was not a case of extortion because Naveed’s son claimed that they had never received any such demand or threat.

ST activist shot dead An activist of the Sunni Tehreek was shot dead and his associate was wounded in Baldia Town, police and party sources said.

The officials added that Rashid aka Shan and Mohammad Rizwan were pasting posters on walls near Ahmed Raza mosque in Sector 8-D when two armed men riding a motorbike pulled up there. They fired at Rashid and Rizwan before speeding away.

The victims were rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where Rashid died during treatment.

A spokesman for the Sunni Tehreek said that Rashid was the party member in charge of Baldia sector.

Following the incident, tension gripped the locality of Baldia Town and surrounding areas.

Trader killed

A hardware shop owner was shot dead in Golimar, police said.

They added Mohammad Sajid, the owner of Shamsi Tiles, was shot at and wounded while he had gone to an area within the remit of the Rizvia police station for dues recovery.

The victim was rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where he died during treatment.

The police were not sure about the motive for the killing.

Teenager shot dead

A teenager was shot dead in Machhar Colony, police said.

They added that the young man was killed in a drive-by shooting near Mauripur Road within the remit of the Docks police station.

The police shifted the body to the Civil Hospital Karachi for medico-legal formalities. The body was later taken to the Edhi morgue for want of identification.

Remains found Some mutilated body parts stuffed in three gunny bags were found at a deserted place in Baldia No 4 within the remit of the Site-A police station, officials said.

They added that the victim’s head was still missing.

The police shifted the body to Civil Hospital Karachi for medico-legal formalities.

Man found shot dead A young man was found shot dead near Shaheen Hotel in Shershah, police said.

They added that the unidentified victim had been shot in the head. The body was shifted to the Civil Hospital Karachi for medico-legal formalities, the officials said.

Man killed in Lyari

Another young man was found shot dead in Lyari, police said.

The body with two gunshots wounds in the head was found within the remit of the Baghdadi police station. It was shifted to the Civil Hospital Karachi for medico-legal formalities.

The police suspected that the victim had been kidnapped before being killed.