KARACHI: Police’s Coun­ter-Terrorism Department on Thursday claimed to have killed a suspect in an ‘encounter’ in Pehlwan Goth area of Gulistan-i-Jauhar who was allegedly involved in targeted killing of police officer Ghulam Mohammed Gujjar in Saddar in July. He had killed the officer after an argument.

The killed suspect, Naveed Khan alias Nomi, was a “habitual criminal and hitman” who had killed three policemen among 11 persons and committed over 200 street crimes after being released after remission from court in 2017, said CTD official Raja Umar Khattab.

Investigation into the officer’s killing was carried out and the suspect was traced early on Thursday morning in Pehlwan Goth where he was killed in the ‘encounter.’

The suspect belonged to a local criminal gang known as Muddasir chief group in Pehlwan Goth.

The deceased was born in Gulistan-i-Jauhar and had remained involved in street crimes and targeted killings. He had three wives; out of them two were alleged criminals who belonged to ‘dacoit group.’ The suspect had also allegedly gunned down his maternal aunt, Mrs Nusrat Chaudhry, who was running a “notorious dacoit gang.” He had doubts that his aunt wanted to turn him in to law enforcers, therefore he gunned her down at ASF ground.

“The killed suspect belonged to a criminal family,” claimed the CTD official. His mother had married four times whose fourth husband, Sagheer Ahmed alias Goga, also committed street crimes along with the killed suspect. He was arrested by the police in 2006 along with his brother Sohail over charges of targeted killings and robberies.

He and his brother Sohail were awarded 25 years imprisonment over murder cases in Khwaja Ajmer Nagri and Gulberg areas. He had filed an appeal before Sindh High Court in 2017 and the high court granted him remission, therefore, he was released from prison after serving 11 years.

Mr Khattab said that the killed suspect was involved in 11 targeted killings including of three policemen and five workers/supporters of Muttahida Qaumi Move­ment in different parts of the metropolis.

Regarding motive of killing assistant sub-inspector Ghulam Mohammed in Saddar on July 23, the CTD official pointed out that intelligence sources revealed that a quarrel had taken place between the martyred officer and the suspect after collision between their motorbikes.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2020