BADIN, March 13: A devotee of Dargah Lowari Sharif was shot dead by an unidentified man near here on Wednesday night.

The devotee, Ali Mardan Chandio, was on his way to Vee Makan and when he stopped his car at the Mohammad petrol pump, the man opened fire on him, killing him on the spot.

After the incident, hundreds of devotees of Dargah Lowari Sharif gathered at the local civil hospital and also at the shrine.

A heavy contingent of the police encircled the shrine and established a picket there to control the situation.

The police registered the case against Yasin Gopang, Dhani Bux Gopang, Asif Shah, Karim Bux Bagrani, Ilahi Bux Kumbhar, Allah Warayo Kumbhar and two others, all belonging to the rival group of the Pir of Chandio.

The dispute over the custody of the shrine is continuing for the last 20 years and it is the tenth incident of killing. As a result of the dispute, the government has closed the shrine.

Ali Mardan was nominated in the case of nine murders in 1983. Meanwhile, people in Lowari Sharif closed their business on Thursday and demanded immediate arrest of the accused.