KARACHI: The Jamshed Quarters police on Thursday registered a case against five unidentified men over killing of Zain Hasan Ali Effendi, 50, a great-grandson of founder of Sindh Madressatul Islam Hassan Ali Effendi, and maternal cousin of former president of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari.

Zain Effendi was shot dead inside his home in Cosmopolitan Society early on Wednesday morning.

The police in their initial probe termed the crime as “robbery with murder”.

According to contents of the FIR lodged by the victim’s wife, Anita Zain, she was asleep in their room on the upper portion of the bungalow when they heard that door of their bedroom was knocked on with force at around 4.20am and suddenly four armed men entered by breaking the lock.

Soon after entering the room, they demanded gold ornaments from her.

The complainant said she immediately gave them her chain and a ring. In the meantime, one suspect while talking to her husband pushed him and took him to other room while other suspects took two mobile phones and two purses lying on the table, which contained some necessary papers and cash.

The complainant said in the meantime, her husband put up resistance and the suspect who had taken him to other room opened fire on him, which missed.

The suspect fired again, which hit her husband in the mouth.

Later, the suspects fired three to four more shots and left the room.

She rushed to her husband who had already died. She phoned the family driver who wasn’t responding to her call.

The complainant said she phoned her mother-in-law and when she came out from the room, the suspects had fled.

As per the FIR, the suspects had tied hands and legs of the guard, watchman and driver and one of the armed suspects stood monitoring them.

The robbers also broke the lock of the children’s room, threatened them and asked them about the room of their father, said the complainant.

The FIR said five masked and armed men entered the home, snatched gold ornaments, mobile phones and purses and shot dead Zain Effendi over resistance.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2021