18 October 2004	Monday	03 Ramazan 1425

KARACHI, Oct 17: A former employee of a rummy club and his driver were killed by unknown persons in Garden East early on Sunday morning.

Police said 35-year-old Mohammad Arif alias Juba was returning home in his care (AEF-787) from a rummy club located near Ghas Mandi, Lyari. When he reached near Asma Arcade in Garden East, two men on a motorcycle intercepted the vehicle and opened fire, killing Mohammad Arif and Mohammad Siddiq, his driver, on the spot.

Police said the victim suffered multiple bullet wounds. Their bodies were shifted to the Civil Hospital for post-mortem examination by the police.

Arif was a resident of Asma Arcade. Police said he had remained in-charge of Arshi rummy club in the past, but was later fired from the job by Shoaib Khan. An FIR was lodged into the killing by the victim, Muhammad Siddiq's brother.

Police said that the killing seemed to be the result of the ongoing underworld rivalry.

DIES: The body of an elderly man was found from the roof of a multi-storeyed building in Saddar on Sunday.

Police said the four-day-old body of Khan Jan, 60, was found from a washroom located on the top floor of Rafiq Centre. People of the building complained to the police of stench emanating from the top floor.

Police said the victim hailed from Quetta and was a guard at a nearby building. Police said the victim apparently died of a cardiac failure.

The body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for post-mortem examination.

PROBE ORDERED: The Sindh Home Minister, Rauf Siddiqui, has ordered an immediate arrest of a police personnel deployed at Shaheed Mehr Ali police check post in the jurisdiction of Aziz Bhatti police station, and initiation of an investigation against them, adds APP.

The minister issued the orders while taking a strong note of the death of an accused Arif, son of Muhammad Bakhsh, allegedly due to torture by these police officials.

He has appointed Town Police Officer (TPO) Gulshan-i-Iqbal as the inquiry officer, and directed him to submit the findings within the shortest possible time.

He also asked the inquiry officer not to accept any pressure regarding the post-mortem report, and to rather report to him about those influencing the findings.

The home minister has warned of strict legal action including termination of service of the responsible police officials in case the post-mortem report confirmed the alleged police torture.

"There is no room for black sheep in the police department," he remarked. Mr Siddiqui also took note of public complaints about police harassment.