KARACHI, June 6: A young man and his nine-year-old nephew were gunned down in Lyari on Monday, hours before a relative of theirs coming to attend their funeral from Balochistan was shot dead in Pak Colony, police said, blaming rivalry between criminal gangs for the tragic incidents.

Officials said four gunmen on two motorbikes attacked 35-year-old Zahid Magsi near Bakra Piri when he was getting into a rickshaw with his nine-year-old nephew Faiz Muhammad Magsi. Residents of Pak Colony, Zahid picked up Faiz every evening in Lyari where he came to get tuition.

“Two of the riders were seen getting off the motorbike and firing at the victims before speeding away from the scene,” said Inspector Babar Hameed, the SHO of the Kalakot police station. “Both sustained multiple bullet wounds and died on the spot. The bodies were later shifted to the Civil Hospital Karachi for medico-legal formalities.”

He said Zahid, a grave-digger, was a known associate of one of the gangs operating in the neighbourhood.

Fear and tension returned to the strife-hit town on the heels of the dual killings, forcing the traders to pull down shutters. The area that is known to remain open till late in the night began to get deserted and by sunset all major business centres and area shops were closed.

“Apparently the killings are a result of the gangs' rivalry,” said Iqbal Mehmood, the DIG (south). “The dead, Zahid, was found to be a member of a gang and was attacked by its rivals. He was the resident of Pak Colony and targeted by opponents in their stronghold.”

He said the police had reason to believe that a particular group was behind the murders and efforts were being made to trace and arrest the suspects.

“We have enhanced patrolling in the area and immediate measures have been taken to tackle any violent situation,” said DIG Mehmood, adding that the Rangers were also assisting the area police.

The police authorities, who blamed the Bilal and Sheru groups for the killings, could not trace and arrest the suspects till late night though the gunmen struck again within a couple of hours. This time the armed riders killed 45-year-old Abdul Latif and left his woman relative injured as they were coming to attend Zahid's and his nephew's funeral in Pak Colony.

“Latif was driving a car to Zahid's home when he was intercepted by four men on two motorbikes near the Mewa Shah graveyard,” said an official at the Pak Colony police station. “He somehow sensed the approaching danger and sped from the scene but the motorcycle riders fired at the moving car and a bullet hit him in the head that proved fatal.”

The firing also left his 35-year-old relative Razia Bano injured. She was later rushed to the Civil Hospital Karachi for treatment, where she was declared stable after initial treatment.

“The victims were coming from Vinder in Balochistan to attend the funeral of Zahid and his nephew. They might have been targeted by the same attackers who had earlier killed the two in Lyari,” added the official.