KARACHI: Armed robbers killed a trader, belonging to the Hindu community, and looted Rs7.3 million that he drew from a bank in a Clifton area on Wednesday afternoon, police said.

DIG-South Sharjeel Kharal told Dawn that Veerbhan Samar Das, 35, drew Rs7.3m from a private bank branch near Schon Circle in Clifton. As he came out from the bank along with his brother and was on their way in a car, three robbers riding two motorbikes intercepted them near the Gul Ahmed shop and snatched the cash from him.

As the trader tried to put up resistance, the robbers opened fire on him and rode away with looted cash, he said.

He was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), where he died during treatment soon after arrival, Dr Summaiya Syed, additional police surgeon of the hospital, said, adding that he suffered a single bullet wound in the abdomen.

Police say Hindu trader was robbed of Rs7.3m in Clifton; recently married man shot dead near Kashmir Road

The victim was a cotton trader in Daharki, district Ghotki.

The DIG said the deceased was a brother-in-law of CPLC city chief Suresh. He came from Daharki to Karachi on Tuesday to finalise a deal regarding an apartment and probably he drew the cash for the same deal, he said.

He said he thoroughly inspected the crime scene and checked for security cameras. “We are trying to retrieve footage from closed circuit cameras.”

He also inspected the vehicle and found no damage to the car, except the broken front door glass on the right side. He also visited the deceased’s home and met the family.

“Teams of investigation and operation branch of police were present at the crime scene and secured it to collect evidence,” said the DIG.

The Clifton SP was checking CCTV recordings of the place of the incident and time of escape of robbers.

Later, SSP-South Zubair Nazeer Shaikh said that the investigators got some clues about the killers and were working on it with the use of modern technology. He said the robbers were without face masks.

Killing on Kashmir Road

In another incident, a 28-year-old recently married man was shot dead by a lone robber upon resistance on Kashmir Road on Wednesday evening.

SSP-East Qamar Raza Jiskani said that two women, said to be mother and sister of victim Shahrukh, got off from a rickshaw outside their home, where a lone armed mugger, who was following them, tried to snatch their gold ornaments. In the meantime, Shahrukh came to open the door and the mugger fired at him and fled.

The victim died on the spot.

In the third such incident of the day, a 50-year-old man, identified as Abdul Qadeer, was shot dead when he resisted a robbery bid near Buraq petrol pump on Superhighway on Wednesday evening.

According to the Sachal police, one suspect, identified as Samiullah, 30, was arrested in an injured condition after an encounter. They said his accomplice managed to escape. The police recovered one pistol.

Meanwhile, Karachi police chief Imran Yaqoob Minhas took notice of the street crimes in the city and formed special teams to arrest the criminals. The police were directed to exercise all available resources for immediate arrest of the killers of the trader and two other persons.

Electronics market robbery

Four robbers took away Rs4.6 million from a mobile shop in the Electronics Market in Saddar, said Preedy SHO Agha Mashooq.

The officer added that the incident took place at around 4.30pm on Jan 10.

The SHO believed it was an inside job. A case was registered and investigations were under way, he added.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2022