KARACHI: A policeman, said to be involved in the last week’s killing of a newly wed young man on Kashmir Road during an armed robbery, allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself in the temple to ‘escape arrest’ when law enforcers traced and tried to capture him through a trap set with the help of his friend, police said on Tuesday.

The fact that the suspect was himself a policeman having history of criminal activities has outraged the general public.

The police said that the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) launched the probe into the newly wed Shahrukh’s killing and after collecting evidence identified the suspect as Farzand Ali Jaffery, who had been posted at the investigation branch of the West zone of police.

The suspect was identified by his colleagues through footage acquired by investigators.

“After the initial probe, it was almost established that the bandit was Farzand Ali,” said an official.

“But it was difficult to pursue the investigation on these lines. So we took more time and put him [suspect] under surveillance. At the same time we went through his service records and looked into the facts. From here our suspicion further strengthened. He was found involved in three criminal cases that included a burglary under the garb of a police raid, a street crime and possession of illegal arms. He had even been arrested, sent to jail, but released on bail. The most shocking thing was his police career which never came under any radar despite his criminal activities,” the official said.

He said the police approached him through one of his friends who invited him at a mutually agreed place in Gulshan-i-Iqbal Block 7 late on Monday night. The police were already there to arrest him.

“Farzand arrived at the place as agreed where his friend was already waiting for him,” said the official. “As the two were chatting, a police team stormed the place. Sensing the situation Farzand within no time pulled out his pistol and shot himself in the head. He died on the spot,” the official added.

“The police are trying to collect further details and trace his accomplices, if there are any,” he said, adding that the body was handed over to the family after medico-legal formalities.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2022