KARACHI, June 25: A police constable of the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) and an activist of a banned sectarian outfit were among seven people killed in different parts of the city on Monday as the ongoing wave of targeted attacks mostly on political and sectarian grounds continued unabated.

A doctor was shot dead in a drive-by shooting in Lyari late Monday night, police said.

They added that Dr Mohammad Ali Shah was targeted near Kamil Gali close to Lyari Town office when he was returning home after closing his clinic in the same locality.

“The motive for the killing is not yet clear,” said Napier SHO Inspector Imdad Khawaja.

Earlier during the day, an activist of the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan was gunned down near the Godhra Colony bus stop in New Karachi, said police.

They added that Mohammad Imran alias Bata, in his late 20s, was shot at while he was walking to a bus stop. “He sustained two gunshot wounds to his chest and head and died on the spot,” said an official at the New Karachi Industrial Area police station.

“The attackers wearing helmets were seen speeding away from the crime-scene,” he added.

Imran was a resident of Godhra Colony but he had not been seen in the area for the past few months, said the official.

As the body was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, tension gripped the thickly-populated locality where traders pulled down shutters and traffic on roads turned thin. Police investigators saw the incident linked with recent sectarian killings.

Police constable gunned down

In North Karachi, 32-year-old police constable Nisar Abbasi was returning home after his duty hours when he was killed near Anda Mor, officials said.

They added that the victim sustained gunshot wounds to his head and died on the spot.

“The victim was associated with the special investigation unit of police,” said Khawaja Ajmair Nagri SHO Inspector Chaudary Mohammad Afzal.

The SHO added that there were different eyewitness accounts of the incident, with some saying that he was intercepted by two gunmen riding a motorbike while others stating that there were two more men on another motorbike providing cover to the attackers.

Two found shot dead

Two residents of Lyari were found shot dead within a radius of a kilometre from 24 Kee Market bus stop in Baldia Town, police said.

They said they believed both victims had been kidnapped before being killed and their bodies were dumped on a vacant plot and along a storm drain, respectively.

“The legs and hands of 36-year-old Naveed Hanif were found tied with rope, and there were gunshot wounds visible on his body,” said an official at the Baldia Town police station.

He added that the victim, a resident of Lyari, had been missing since Sunday evening.

Meanwhile, the body of the other Lyari resident was found in a neighbouring locality.

“The victim, identified as 27-year-old Ghulam Nabi, was found shot dead along the drain in Swat Colony, a kilometre from 24 Kee Market bus stop,” said an official at the Saeedabad police station.

He added that the victim had sustained two gunshot wounds to his head.

Police investigators did not find any credible evidence about the people or their motive for the killing, but said they had reasons to believe that gang warfare in Lyari claimed their lives.

Body found

A gunny bag containing the body of a youngster was found in Ramswami, said police.

They added that the suspicious-looking bag was spotted in a narrow street of the locality. “Clad in shalwar kameez, the victim, in his 20s, remained unidentified,” said an official at the Nabi Bux police station.

He added that severe torture marks were visible on the body. After a medico-legal examination at the Civil Hospital Karachi, the body was shifted to the Edhi morgue for want of identification.

Fisherman killed

In the early hours of Monday, a fisherman was gunned down in Machhar Colony over what police said ‘personal enmity’.

“Mohammad Jaseem, 26, was killed inside his home,” said an official at the Docks police station.

“It was not a targeted killing but the result of some personal dispute. The victim originally hailed from Bangladesh and had been living here with his family for the past several years,” added the official.

After sunrise, a large number of residents staged a protest demonstration over Jaseem’s killing.

A heavy contingent of Rangers and police was deployed on Mauripur Road to prevent an untoward incident. The protesters burnt tyres on roads, causing a severe traffic jam. The crowd dispersed following successful talks between senior police officials and area elders.