• Fourth killing within a week in a radius of one km
• Police announce arrest of cotton trader’s ‘killer’
• Rangers chief chairs meeting to formulate strategy

KARACHI: In a clear sign of failure of law enforcers to maintain law and order in the city, another man lost his life while putting up resistance to a robbery overshadowing the press conference of police authorities on Friday in which the officials claimed the arrest of a robbery and murder suspect involved in a trader’s killing on January 12.

The latest act that took place off Superhighway on Friday is shockingly the fourth such incident in less than a week within the radius of almost one kilometre.

The Sachal police said that a young security guard of a petrol pump was shot dead while a citizen was wounded by armed robbers when they put up resistance to a mugging attempt.

They added that armed motorcyclists came to rob Admor petrol pump near Maymar Mor. The young security guard retaliated and tired to put up resistance to the robbery upon which the robbers opened fire on him and fled along with the loot.

Security guard Sultan Siddiq, 35, was killed while Arbab Hayat, 35, wounded. The dead and wounded were moved to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

Also on Friday, a meeting of law enforcement agencies, chaired by the director general of Sindh Rangers, was also held on Friday in which recent rise in street crime, particularly the killing of three people by robbers on Wednesday, was discussed and a joint strategy for a crackdown was planned.

Prime suspect held

Earlier in the day, DIG-South Sharjeel Kharal announced the arrest of a prime suspect in a case pertaining to the Jan 12 killing of a cotton trader in Clifton near Schon Circle.

Speaking to journalists at his office, he said that the held suspect along with his other accomplices had looted Rs7.5 million from Veerbhan, 43, who had drawn the cash from a private bank in the same area and was travelling along with his brother in a car when robbers riding two motorbikes intercepted them.

“The held suspect is a member of a gang and efforts are under way to arrest remaining four other members,” he said.

Responding to questions, the police officer said that he could not share further details at this stage as it might adversely affect the investigation.

“The suspect has also confessed that they had committed a robbery outside a private bank in Gizri three days prior to the murder of the trader,” he said.

SSP-Investigation Dr Farrukh Raza said a cell phone was recovered from the crime scene that belonged to the held suspect. With the help of technology, the suspect was identified and was arrested on Thursday night during a raid, he said.

He added a spent bullet casing was also found from the crime scene that had been sent to the police forensic laboratory for investigation.

South SSP Zubair Nazeer Shaikh told Dawn that the held suspect had criminal record as he had been arrested and gone to jail in the past.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2022