KARACHI, Feb 16: Following the murder of his mother last year, a young expatriate has discontinued his studies, left the job in the United Kingdom and returned to the city with a conviction that he will not return until the murderers are brought to book.

Shaikh Fasihullah who was doing his MPhil in Protocol Analysis Information Technology in London has done his utmost to pursue the murder case of his mother. However, the killers are still at large.

In November last year, Mumtaz Aman, 55, settled along with her family in the UK, came to the city to spend Ramazan.

On the evening of Nov 6, she went to a money changer outlet, on University Road.

After changing some money she went to a Utility Store in Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

Later when the lady came out of the store, she was intercepted by two unknown armed men riding a motorcycle behind Ashfaq Memorial Hospital. They demanded the cash she was carrying. When she tried to resist, they shot her down and escaped with the cash.

Mrs Mumtaz Aman died before she could even be taken to hospital. Fasihullah took her mother’s body back to the United Kingdom for burial.

He later returned to the city and started pursuing the investigation case.

This was not the first incident of this sort; almost a year ago, a young man who had returned from a Middle Eastern country to get married was shot dead near Nipa by unknown armed men.

He had also gone to the same money changer outlet on University Road before he had been shot dead and robbed, says an investigation officer.

Fasihullah did some of his own investigation and started seeing the victims who had been deprived of cash at gunpoint as they came out of that particular money changer shop.

DSP Investigation Gulshan Town Ali Asghar told Dawn that score’s of decoities have been committed which are linked to the same money changer shop.

However, most of the victims did not lodge an FIR with the police fearing more harassment.

A senior police official of the Gulshan Town told Dawn that in some cases the armed men had taken out the cash even from the undergarments of the victims.

A lady who had gone to the same shop after currency exchange put the cash in her undergarment. When she was about to reach her home, two armed men intercepted her, one of them put his hand in her undergarment at gunpoint and after securing money fled, the police officer said.

In another incident, a lady went to the same shop along with her cousin.

She gave US $15,000 for exchange. Interestingly three staff members counted the cash and said that they can’t give her the cash but offered a cheque against the amount.

Understandably, she refused the offer and put the cash in one of the two bags she was carrying.

The lady was also carrying her four-month-baby. At a distance from the shop they were intercepted by the armed men who held the baby hostage at gunpoint and demanded the cash by accurately pointing out the bag in which the cash was present.

In yet another incident, a young man who had visited the same shop and had placed the cash in his three different pockets was intercepted by unknown armed men.

On their demand, he gave Rs 10,000 to them, they slapped him and pointed out other two pockets in which he was carrying the cash.

In yet another incident, this time in North Nazimabad, unknown armed men intercepted a young man, held him at gunpoint and told him to take out the cash from his undergarment.

He was coming from the same money changer shop in Gulshan-i- Iqbal.

Following the incident, the North Nazimabad SHO contacted his counterpart in Gulshan-i-Iqbal to share the information on the case.

The DIG Investigation Fayyaz Laghari told Dawn that similar cases have also been reported in North Nazimabad where there is a branch shop of the same money changer.

Police said that during the investigation of the case, they found out that the money changer outlet does not carry out a recording procedure which is must for a business involving cash transactions.

DSP Ali Asghar said that police have questioned several staff members of the shop, a marketing manager of the outlet has been picked up for interrogation and has been remanded in police custody.

The investigation officers of the case strongly suspect involvement of the money changer outlet behind the dacoities, but further arrests are awaited and case still remains unsolved.

Dismayed over the fact that suspects involved in his mother’s murder are still at large, Fasihullah, however, appreciates the positive role played by ASP Dr Rizwan and Qaiser Ali Shah, SHO of Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

Although, Fasihullah is finding it hard to survive in Karachi, without job or family support, yet he is determined to see the murderers of his mother behind bars.