KARACHI: A 62-year-old woman was shot dead while her husband was wounded by a suspected robber in Sharifabad, said police and Edhi Foundation officials on Thursday.

They added that the couple was attacked near the National Bank Chowrangi in Liaquatabad on Wednesday evening and were taken to a private hospital where the woman succumbed to her wounds during treatment early on Thursday morning.

Sharifabad SHO Kamran Haider said that 65-year-old Irfan and his wife, Nasreen, 62, had gone for shopping in Liaquatabad market where they stayed for several hours. After shopping, they were returning home in Gulistan-i-Jauhar when they received a phone call from their son who had also gone shopping in furniture market of F.C. Area.

The son asked his parents to wait for him as he would also join them. The couple parked their car along the main road near Liaquatabad No. 10 towards Gharibabad.

In the meantime, an armed man knocked at the door of the car showing a pistol to the couple apparently for committing robbery.

Irfan got panicked and accelerated the speed of the car.

The suspect opened fire on them from behind. The bullet hit Irfan on the hand, which pierced through it and the same bullet hit his wife’s thigh.

The incident occurred at around 5.45pm on Wednesday.

The couple with the help of their relatives initially went to a private hospital in Gulshan-i-Iqbal from where after first aid they were advised to go to the Liaquat National Hospital where the woman died during treatment probably due to excessive bleeding, said the SHO.

Mr Haider revealed that for around two hours, the woman could not get proper treatment as they become stuck in a traffic jam while travelling to the hospital.

The police recovered one spent bullet casing from the crime scene and were investigating the case.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2021