LARKANA: Three labourers travelling in a Qingqi rickshaw heading to Madeji town near Naudero Sugar Mills bypass were gunned down by unidentified motorcyclists on Wednesday.

Those killed in the firing were identified as Waheed Gul, 60 and Raees Khan, 41 and a seriously wounded person, Arab Gul, 36, who was immediately taken to the Chandka Medical College Hospital, but could not survive.

The alleged killers after committing the crime sped away on the bike.

Bilawal condemns killings

Senior Superintendent of Police Qambar-Shahdadkot Zulfikar Ali Mahar, who holds the charge of Larkana SSP, along with a team of forensic experts and police officers, reached the spot and visited the crime scene.

Talking to reporters, he said two motorcyclists targeted the rickshaw.

“After collecting empties from the crime scene, we are investigating the incident from all angles. We will trace out the killers,” he said.

He said the labourers had been living in Sindh since decades.

Speaking to Dawn, Deputy Inspector General of Police Larkana range Jawed Akbar Riaz on Wednesday said the assailants had fired at the Qingqi rickshaw resulting in the deaths of two, while another victim was critically wounded and later succumbed to his injuries in the CMCH.

The bodies after completing medico-legal formalities at the Naudero hospital were handed over to their heirs who had transported them to their home town.

The police said an FIR (No. 09/2019) had been registered on the complaint of Jan Saeed, the son of deceased Waheed Gul, under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Naudero police station.

A team headed by SSP Larkana Masood Bangash was constituted to probe the incident, he said.

ASP City Mohammad Kaleem, DSP Naudero Darya Khan Khoso and SHO of Naudero would be members of the team, he said and added that he would supervise the investigation.

He said the Sindh chief minister and inspector general of police Sindh had talked to him and instructed him to carry out investigation on professional lines.

He said a 30-bore pistol was used in the crime.

The complainant told journalists that the deceased were targeted when they were going to Madeji from Larkana.

The victims hailed from village Khar of Bajaur (Khy­ber Pakhtunkhwa) and had been trading in domestic utensils here, he said.

Khair Mohammad Shaikh, general secretary PPP Lark­ana district, arrived at the scene and condemned the brutal killings and termed the incident a conspiracy against the PPP and the Sindh government.

“We are with our Pathan brothers,” he said, adding that the conspiracy would be unmasked.

Asad Pathan of the Path­ans Association also reached the spot and condemned the incident.

Naudero police impoun­d­ed the Qingqi rickshaw and arrested its driver Mukhtiar Junejo who was later released, the sources said.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari condemns killings

Meanwhile, according to the media cell of the PPP on Wednesday, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, chairman of PPP, vehemently condemned the brutal killings of three persons by armed men in Nau­dero.

In his message, he showed grave concern over loss of precious lives in the sad incident.

The loss of lives of innocent people has deeply saddened him, he remarked.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari asked the Sindh government and law enforcement agencies to take appropriate steps for immediate arrest of the perpetrators and take them to task.

President of PPP Sindh Nisar Khuhro in a statement condemning the incident of the triple murder said that their killers were enemies of peace in Sindh.

Dr Safdar Abbasi of PPP-Workers also condemned the triple murder of labourers in Naudero.

Expressing condolence with the bereaved family, he called for early arrest of the killers.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2019