KARACHI, April 6: Three people were shot dead in different incidents in the city on Saturday, police said.

They said that gunmen riding a motorbike targeted 32-year-old Muhammad Ali, who was heading home on a motorcycle near Sindhi Hotel in New Karachi. The firing also left a woman passer-by wounded.

“The victim had a criminal record and had spent time in prison twice,” said an official at the New Karachi police station. “He was a resident of New Karachi and his killing seems to be linked with his criminal activities. The woman, Shabana Syed, was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for treatment.”

In Malir, a 28-year-old man was killed days after he contracted a freewill marriage.

The area police said that armed men fired at Shaharyar Nawaz near Naad-e-Ali bus stop. “He was hit by two bullets and died on the spot,” said Malir City SHO Inspector Ejaz Rajpar. “A few days ago, he married a girl against the will of his own and her family.

We are not sure about the motive for the killing but that could be one of the reasons.”

A young man was shot dead allegedly by his friends in Landhi on Saturday, police said.

They said some youngsters were sitting at a place, commonly called Dera, near Bait-ul-Mukarram Masjid in the Landhi’s Future Colony.

“The information is not complete because people inside the Dera at the time of incident ran away after firing,” said Sharafi Goth SHO Inspector Irfan Meo. “Sajjad Sher Muhammad was sitting with his friends at the Dera when he had a heated debate with other youngsters. The situation turned ugly when someone fired at him. He sustained three bullet wounds and died.”