KARACHI: Two policemen were shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Tuesday when they were conducting snap checking in the North Nazimabad area of Karachi, a police spokesperson said.

The police officials were performing their duty near Hyderi market when they had signaled a motorcycle to stop for snap checking. On this, the riders opened fire at the policemen and fled the scene, killing them on the spot.

Inspector General Sindh Ghulam Haider Jamali took serious notice of the incident and suspended the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and the North Nazimabad Station House Officer (SHO).

The attack comes after several recent incidents of firing on policemen in the city.

On October 8, two policemen were shot dead in Bahadurabad as they were patrolling the area on a motorcycle when armed bikers targeted them near Char Minar Chowrangi.

Read: Two policemen shot dead in Bahadurabad

In another incident, unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen opened fire targeting a police mobile deployed for duty at the bridge linking Shah Faisal colony area of the city with the Korangi Industrial Area.

Attackers also turned their guns towards traffic constables, when a traffic police official was shot dead while two others sustained bullet wounds in an armed attack in Site-B area early in September.

This was followed by another attack in late-September, in which a traffic police official was shot dead in an armed attack in the Malir area.

Read: Traffic police official shot dead in Malir

Assailants have been targeting police officials earlier this year and the attacks had just started to lessen but the recent wave of firing incidents has spread fear among police constables.

Usually unarmed and without any regular policing training, traffic constables were given automated rifles, pistols and bulletproof vests by the Sindh police for self-defence.

However, the move has not shown to be much effective as attackers are still finding traffic policemen a soft target since they are busy in traffic management at crowded intersections amid hundreds of vehicles.

Later, police authorities sought the assistance of paramilitary Rangers to provide security to traffic police personnel in the metropolis following consistent attacks.

Read: Rangers help sought for security of traffic police personnel