KARACHI: A businessman, also the son of a local leader of a mainstream religious party, was shot dead in a suspected targeted attack in Jamia Millia on Wednesday, police said.

Al-Falah SHO Rashid Din said that Raza Zulfiqar, 32, was travelling in a car and was on his way to his construction firm office when a gunman riding pillion on a motorcycle opened fire on him on Jamia Millia Road.

He suffered two bullet wounds, one in the neck, and died on the spot. The victim’s body was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre to fulfil legal formalities.

“It appears to be a targeted killing case,” said the SHO.

He said the CCTV footage obtained from the crime scene showed that the armed motorcycle riders chased the victim and opened straight fire on him and it did not seem to be a robbery attempt.

The victim was involved in steel and cement business. He was a son of former union council nazim Mohammed Zulfiqar belonging to the Jamaat-i-Islami. Investigators collected two spent bullet casings fired from a 9mm pistol from the spot. Further investigation was under way.

Two fishermen die, seven hospitalised

Two fishermen died while seven others became unconscious and were hospitalised after consuming some chemical substance assuming it to be “English wine” in Ibrahim Hyderi, said police, hospital and local NGO officials.

Some fishermen during fishing in the open sea found a bottle caught in their net on Tuesday, which they brought to Ibrahim Hyderi and consumed it by arranging a party there.

As a result, nine of them became unconscious and were taken to the Indus Hospital, where two of them died. They were buried secretly on Wednesday morning, said Ibrahim Hyderi SHO Mohammed Ali Shah.

Six of them were later taken for treatment to the JPMC, said Dr Seemin Jamali, executive director of the hospital. They had consumed “methanol poison”, added Dr Jamali. “They all are being treated,” she said.

Kamal Shah, a representative of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, identified the deceased fishermen as Shahbaz and Rashid, both in their 20s.

The hospitalised ones were identified as Sameer, 20, Ayub Sheikh, 50, Ayaz Ali, 18, Ahmed Shahzad, 20, Ismail, Guhram, and Saleem.

The SHO said that they had sent the bottle and samples to the chemical examiner’s office and were waiting for its findings to proceed further legally.

Teenager commits suicide

A teenage boy committed suicide in Orangi Town on Wednesday.

Raheel Amjad, 16, ended his life by hanging himself inside his home in Sector 8-B near Ayesha Masjid, said area SHO Malik Riaz Niazi.

He committed suicide after being scolded by his mother over some issue. The tragedy for the family was compounded as six months ago his father had died.

The body was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for legal formalities.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2021