KARACHI: Three eyewitnesses rightly picked out on Thursday a key suspect and his security guard during an identification parade before a judicial magistrate in a case pertaining to the murder of a college student near Seaview beach.

Khawar Hussain Burney, his guard Abdul Rehman and three underage brothers Haider Hussain Burney, Hasan Hussain Burney and Hasnain Hussain Burney along with their absconding accomplices have been booked for allegedly killing 18-year-old college student Zafir Ahmed Zuberi on Abdul Sattar Edhi Avenue near Seaview on Dec 3.

The investigating officer produced the five suspects before a judicial magistrate (South) for identification parade while the eyewitnesses, including the injured friend of the deceased, also turned up.

The judicial magistrate conducted the identification parade after completing legal formalities. The suspects were lined up along with dummies as the court called the witnesses one by one to identify the suspects.

The eyewitnesses picked out Khawar Burney and Abdul Rehman among the dummies and deposed that Khawar was travelling in a Vigo and he opened fire at the victim’s car while the other suspect was also present with the main suspect in the vehicle.

It may be recalled that initially the magistrate had refused to hold identification parade of Khawar Burney on the ground that his pictures had already been aired and published by a section of media as well as uploaded on social media.

However, the IO challenged the order of magistrate before a sessions court which set aside the order and directed the magistrate to hold identification parade and also allowed another application of IO to get the custody of suspects from prison after the magistrate remanded them to prison, though the IO said their custody was still required for questioning.

Raza Hussain Burney and his brother Haris Hussain Burney, Danish, Hammad, Noman, Umar Pirwani and a woman, Mehak, are still at large.

Police said that the suspects had allegedly gunned down Zafir Ahmed Zuberi and caused injuries to his friend on Abdul Sattar Edhi Avenue near Seaview after the victims travelling in a Mercedes had hit a motorcyclist who was involved in bike race at the beach; thereafter the motorcyclist’s friends travelling in a Vigo chased and opened indiscriminate fire on them.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2017