KARACHI, July 7: In a sign of resurgence of violence in old city areas after a lull followed by a high-level meeting presided over by President Asif Ali Zardari on law and order in the city on Saturday, three young men were shot dead in Lyari’s Kalri and Baghdadi localities on Sunday evening, according to police officials.

Circumstances suggested that the two victims in Kalri were first kidnapped by gunmen who brought them on motorcycles in Agra Taj Colony near Naval Flats outside Attock General Store, said SHO of Kalri Haji Sanaullah. “Perhaps, the attackers were planning to take them elsewhere but decided to open fire on them then and there and apparently fled because both the police and Rangers were patrolling the main road in the same vicinity,” added the police officer.

The bullet-riddled body of a young man was found in Baghdadi on Sunday night, according to a police officer at the Baghdadi police station.

He said that it appeared that the gunmen kidnapped, gunned him down somewhere and later threw his body in Phool Patti Gali off Ahmed Shah Bukhari Road.

The police officer said if he had been murdered there, firing would have alerted both police and the Rangers, patrolling nearby. The wounded were taken to the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) where doctors pronounced them dead on arrival. They said that one youth sustained five bullets while another received four bullets on vital parts of his body. The bullets were mostly fired in their heads. The Baghdadi victim had a single bullet wound on his head. “From his appearance, he looked like a Kutchhi man,” opined the police officer.

The deceased were identified as Mohammad Waseem, 20, resident of al-Falah, Bihar Colony and originally hailing from Chiniot, Punjab, and Zakir Ghafoor, 30, who also resided in al-Falah, Bihar Colony and was Balochi-speaking, said the police officer.

The corpse of the Baghdadi victim was shifted to the CHK where his identity could not be immediately ascertained.

These murders took place followed by two meetings chaired by President Asif Ali Zardari at the Bilawal House about the recent breakdown of the law and order situation in Lyari with security and administrative officials and Pakistan Peoples Party leaders.

One source privy to these meetings told Dawn that there was no ‘conflict’ between the Baloch and Kutchhi communities.

“There are some criminal elements not under the control of the banned Peoples Amn Committee. And there are estimated 100-150 ‘outsiders’ living in Kutchhi-dominated localities, who are not under the control of the Kutchhi Rabita Committee,” said the source. Till these criminal elements were not dealt with through police and administrative measures, any peace talk between the Baloch and Kutchhi representatives would not yield any positive results for peace and tranquillity in the city’s most troubled spot, added the source.

Despite heavy presence of the law-enforcement agencies, the killings continued in old city areas, putting a question mark over the effectiveness of such enhanced security measures, according to sources.

KESC employee killed in Pak Colony

A man was shot dead by suspected robbers in Pak Colony, according to police.

They said that the robbers entered a home in Pak Colony and when the resident, Mateen Akhter, 40, put up resistance, they opened fire on him and fled without looting anything.

Akhter was taken to a hospital where he died. “The victim was an employee of KESC,” said SHO Pak Colony, Bilal Raza.

‘Suspect’ killed by accomplices

A suspected robber was shot dead allegedly by his accomplices in Pirabad on Sunday, according to police.

They said that unidentified gunmen entered a home in Usmania Colony, Qasba and gunned down Mohammad Ali, 40, alias Kaki.

“Kaki was a robber,” said Abdul Moid, SHO Pirabad. He opined that he might have been killed by his accomplices over being a possible police informer. He added that the accomplices might have harboured suspicions that Kaki was informing the police about their activities and for this reason probably targeted him.

The police officer said that the two suspected robbers were shot dead in an alleged encounter in Qasba Colony, two days ago while one more alleged robber was gunned down in another encounter on Saturday.

Man killed in New Karachi

A young man was gunned down in New Karachi on Sunday night, according to police.

SHO Bilal Colony Changez Khan said that the man was standing at a bus stop near Do Minute Chowrangi when two armed motorcyclists opened fire on him and fled. The wounded was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where the doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

The police officer said that the victim remained unidentified; however, according to sources in Edhi Foundation who shifted the corpse to the hospital identified the deceased as 35-year-old Taha.

One killed, three injured in Orangi

A man was shot dead while three others sustained bullet wounds in Orangi Town on Sunday night, the police said.

“A fight broke out between two groups allegedly involved in extortion and other criminal activities in Shah Waliullah Nagar, resulting in the death of a man and wounds to three others,” said SP of Orangi Town Chaudhary Asad Ali.

They were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. The deceased was identified as 35-year-old Nasir, alias Chingari.

The wounded men have been identified as Shahid, Kamal and Nadir.

“Chingari is allegedly involved in extortion activities,” claimed the Orangi Town SP.

The police officer said that both the groups were involved in criminal activities but they had taken ‘shelter’ in political parties.

Man shot dead in Ferozabad

A man was shot dead in Ferozabad on Sunday night, the police said.

They added that unidentified gunmen shot dead 49-year-old Umar Khattab in PECHS, Block-2. He sustained a single bullet wound on his torso, which proved fatal. The body was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities.

“The victim was a truck driver at Subzi Mandi and called by someone to pick up luggage for a journey to Peshawar,” said ASP of Ferozabad Rana Shoaib.

“It appears that he might have been killed over some issue by those who invited him,” the officer added.