QUETTA: Five people were killed and four others injured in three incidents here on Saturday. Police said two incidents fell in the category of targeted killing. Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti claimed that 20 suspects had been arrested in connection with the killings.

The deceased included two barbers and two welders who were killed in attacks on their shops, police said.

According to police, a masked man walked into a barber’s shop in Manno Jan Road area and opened fire on two workers. They suffered multiple injuries and died on the spot. Mohammad Rafiq and his brother Mohammad Arif belonged to Muzaffargarh district in Punjab.

In another incident, assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on a welding shop in Double Road area, killing two men and injuring four others.

The deceased were identified as Moha­mmad Mohsin Nawaz and Mohammad Naeem. The injured included Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Junaid, Mohammad Irshad and Rasool Bakhsh.

One Rehmatullah Alizai was going home when he was shot dead in the Eastern Bypass area.

Police said the attacks on the barber’s and welder’s shops were incidents of targeted killing. The third incident had its roots in old enmity, they said.

In overnight raids, police officials claimed, 250 suspects were arrested in connection with the killing of eight policemen over the past five days. The raids were conducted in Pashtoonabad, Mehmoodabad and other areas. Those arrested were handed over to the authorities concerned for interrogation.

Meanwhile, the banned Baloch Youth Tigers (BYT) has claimed responsibility for the killing of four policemen in Pashtoonabad area on Thursday. “Our organisation carried out the attack,” a BYT spokesman told reporters on phone.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2015

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