KARACHI: The Darakshan police on Friday claimed to have arrested five shopkeepers for opening shops in violation of the government closure order to prevent spread of coronavirus in Defence Housing Authority and registered a case against them.

According to contents of the FIR (162/2020), a police party was patrolling in the DHA as part of their strategy to control crimes when they came to know that some shops were open in the Badar Commercial area of DHA.

The police arrested five shopkeepers identified as Kashif Husain, M. Shahzad, M. Tajamul, Akhtiar Husain and M. Ramzan and booked them under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The police said that the provincial government through a notification issued under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code had imposed a ban on opening of shops and markets.

Suspect held over killing policeman

The police’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Friday claimed to have arrested an alleged hitman, who had killed a policeman and two others.

The CTD officials carried out an action in Gulbahar and apprehended a suspect, Nadeem.

“The held suspect is a former unit in-charge of the MQM-London’s Pak Colony sector,” claimed the CTD.

The suspect had remained a part of the ‘hitmen’s team’ belonging to the MQM-L.

He had allegedly killed policeman Nadeem and two citizens namely Danish and Hameed in the past.

Meanwhile, the Frere police on Friday claimed to have arrested two suspects, Danish alias Gandairi and Bilal.

“The held suspects are involved in street crimes, house and shop robberies, sale of drugs and lifting of motorcycles,” said the police.

There were several cases registered against them at different police stations.

Man found dead

A 35-year-old man was found dead in Gulshan-i-Hadeed on Friday.

The Steel Town police said that the body of the man identified as Abdul Rehman was recovered from the home in Phase-II.

The man had died around 15-20 days ago. He was living alone. The officer said that a brother of the deceased told the police that the deceased used to quarrel with his family and therefore, they had expelled him from home sometime back and he was thus living alone.

The cause of death could not be ascertained immediately.

The body was taken to the Edhi morgue at Sohrab Goth.

Man electrocuted

An around 30-year-old man was electrocuted on Mauripur Road on Friday.

The Edhi Foundation spokesperson said that the man was allegedly trying to cut electric wires of a water filter plant near Dua restaurant when he received an electric shock and died.

The victim whose identity could not be ascertained immediately appeared to be a drug addict, said the spokesperson.

The body was taken to the Edhi morgue for want of identification.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2020