KARACHI, Nov 18: Twelve pistols and 180 rounds were seized from two Kathmandu-bound Pakistani passengers by customs officials at the airport here on Friday.

A handout issued by the customs drug enforcement cell said its staff intercepted two passengers, Muhammad Ashraf Adil and Sohail Feroz, in the international departure hall of the Jinnah International Airport when they arrived there to board a PIA flight (PK-268) for the Nepalese capital.

Both passengers were carrying six large toothed mechanical gears which the customs staff had to cut open with great difficulty.

The exercise revealed 12 pistols and 180 live rounds concealed in the cavities of the gears, the press release said.

The hollow gears were stuffed with pinkish sand to hide the arms. Following the seizure of the prohibited arms and mmunition, both suspects were arrested and cases registered against them under the Customs Act, 1969.

Factory worker shot dead

A 37-year-old factory worker was shot dead near a graveyard in Gulshan-i-Ghazi in Baldia Town within the remit of the Mochko police station when he was returning from his duty in the early hours of Friday, police said.

Abdul Kabeer, son of Mansoor, a resident of Ittehad Town, was going home after completing his nightshift duty at a factory when he was shot thrice in the head by unidentified gunmen, the police said. The victim died on the spot, they added.

The body was shifted to the Civil Hospital Karachi for legal formalities.

The police said that the victim was a father of three children and hailed from Swat.

The police suspected a personal enmity as a possible motive behind the killing. However, they said that the victim’s family was not cooperating with them.

No case was registered till the filing of this report.

‘Drug addict’ killed

The body of a 28-year-old “drug addict” bearing torture marks was found in a football ground in Jumma Goth within the remit of the Sukkhan police station on Friday morning, police said.

They said that the victim later identified as Gul Mohammad, alias Gullu, son of Mohammad Omar, was missing since Thursday. The police said that the body bore some marks of torture, but, there was no major injury.

The body was shifted to the Jinnah hospital and later handed over to his family.