KARACHI: A lady doctor and a private guard of a police officer were killed in two separate armed robbery incidents in the city on Monday, police said.

They said that Dr Ayesha Rehman, 40, was killed in her Gulistan-i-Jauhar home when one of her relatives put up resistance to an armed robbery bid.

Gulshan SP Shahnawaz Chachar said that four armed men, clad in trousers and dress shirts with ties, entered a house in Block-13 near the Darul Sehat Hospital at around 8.30am.

As family members put up resistance, robbers opened fire and fled. The doctor sustained critical bullet wounds and was taken to the Aga Khan University Hospital, where she died during treatment.

The robbers had come to the house in a car which they abandoned while fleeing, the SP said, adding that the police seized the car and during a search found a .30-bore pistol, a sub-machine gun and police caps.

He said that the number plate of the car was fake.

Police say Dr Ayesha was the sister-in-law of Inspector Sarwar ‘Commando’ and came here from Canada to attend a wedding

He said that the victim Ayesha came here from Canada a week ago to attend the marriage ceremony of a relative.

The SP claimed that investigators got significant clues and hoped that the killers would be arrested soon.

He disclosed that the victim doctor was a sister-in-law of Sharea Faisal SHO Inspector Sarwar ‘Commando’ and the incident took place in his jurisdiction.

The officer ruled out any other possibility behind the murder.

Private guard of DSP killed

In Shadman Town, a private guard of a DSP was shot dead by robbers apparently over resistance.

The Shahrah-i-Noor Jehan police said around seven to eight armed men entered the house of DSP Tariq Malik in Sector 14-B Shadman Town at around 3.30am and held his family as well as the family of his brother, also a police sub-inspector, at gunpoint.

They tied the family with ropes and started collecting cash, valuables and jewellery.

However, the DSP’s guard, Riaz Malik, 30, tried to resist them and was killed by the robbers.

DSP Malik later told media that his private guard was living in the upper portion of his house. He had come downstairs to put up resistance to the criminals.

He sustained three bullet wounds and died on the spot. The body was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital to fulfil medico-legal formalities.

Before fleeing, the robbers also took away two pistols and a rifle of the two brothers. The robbers remained in the house for around half an hour.

The police said that DSP Malik was on ex-Pakistan leave and recently returned from Canada.

He said that it appeared that the robbers had done proper reconnaissance before committing the house robbery.

He ruled out the possibility of any other motive behind the incident.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police Sindh Dr Syed Kaleem Imam took notice of the two incidents and sought a detailed report from authorities concerned.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2019