ISLAMABAD: A driver of a private cab company, Careem, was killed in a robbery on Friday, the police said.

A watchman in G-13/1 told the Golra police that he had heard gunshots and shortly afterwards saw a car speeding away.

When he went to see what had happened, he found the victim lying on the road and ran to inform the police.

A patrolling team and the Golra station house officer went to investigate and found that the victim had been shot three times.

The bullet shells were found a couple of metres from the body and the police also found the victim’s CNIC on his body as well as some money. The body was later moved to the hospital for legal process.

The victim was identified as 26-year-old Junaid Mustafa and according to his elder brother, Sohail Mustafa, he had been working for the cab company for the last three months. He said the robbers took his car, a Wagon R, and his mobile phones.

Sohail is a police officer deployed in Rawalpindi.

A case was registered against unidentified persons for murder and robbery and the police said that preliminary investigations suggested that someone had booked a ride, taken the victim to G-13 where they overpowered him and tried to force him to disembark from his vehicle. The police said the victim may have been shot when he put up resistance.

A police official Dawn spoke to said the culprits have been identified and that one of the suspects is a police official from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and that the location of the accused was also tracked down via the victim’s mobile phones on the motorway. He said police officials have been sent to apprehend them and recover the stolen valuables.

Careem drivers staged a protest over the killings and gathered at F-9 park after Friday prayers. They demanded security for cab drivers and later marched towards the press club but were intercepted by the police. They then turned towards Zero Point and assembled on the Kashmir Highway and staged a protest there and blocked the road for hours.

Officials of the capital administration, assistant commissioner, sub-divisional police officers of Margalla and Aabpara went to negotiate with the drivers who refused to book rides after 8pm unless provided with security. They also demanded the reinstatement of the captains who were sacked by the management.

During negotiations, it was decided that cases of drivers who were let go will be sent to the capital administration which will give directives after analysing individual cases.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2018