KARACHI: A traffic police official was shot dead in a suspected targeted attack in North Nazimabad on Sunday evening, Shahra-i-Noorjehan police said.
They added that sub-inspector Mohammed Arshad was performing his duty near Five Star Chowrangi when gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on him at close range and fled. The police officer said that one of the suspects wore a helmet and the other had his face covered.
He sustained three bullet wounds on different parts of his body and was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where he died during treatment.
Investigators collected five spent bullet casings fired from a 9mm pistol at the crime scene.
DIG-Traffic Dr Amir Ahmed Shaikh told Dawn that the traffic official was performing his duty in the middle of the road, which had been dug up for the Orange Line bus project, while another traffic policeman was at a distance. He said the traffic police themselves could not stop the killings.
Dr Shaikh said this was the second targeted killing of a traffic official this year while last year several traffic officials were gunned down.
Law-enforcers have busted one group of hitmen involved in targeted killing of policemen. The held hitmen have reportedly told the investigators that two or three more groups of hitmen were still active in the metropolis who were targeting policemen. The traffic DIG said he believed that banned militant outfits were targeting traffic policemen.
Till these hitmen were taken to task and law and order was generally improved, the killings of the policemen may continue, apprehended the senior officer.
Meanwhile, inspector general of Sindh police A.D. Khowaja, while announcing Rs1 million for people providing any information which may lead to the arrest of the killers of the traffic official, urged the public to come forward and assist the police so that “we can reach the criminals who are involved in the killing of traffic officials”.
Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2016
Dear visitor, the comments section is undergoing an overhaul and will return soon.