KARACHI: A newly-married young man was gunned down and his friend riding with him wounded by personnel of the Anti-Vehicle Lifting Cell (AVLC) apparently for not stopping their motorcycle in Manghopir on Tuesday night when they were returning from the shrine of Shah Noorani, police and relatives said on Wednesday.

SSP-West Faisal Bashir Memon confirmed to Dawn that the AVLC police were involved in the shooting.

The dead and wounded were identified as Hashim Sikander Magsi, 30, and his friend Shahzad, respectively.

The Manghopir police have registered a murder case against unidentified policemen on the complaint of the victim’s brother, Zamir Ahmed, a resident of North Karachi.

The complainant said at around 10:30pm on Tuesday, he received a call from his younger brother Hashim’s cell number and the caller told him that his brother had been killed and asked him to come to the Manghopir police station.

When he reached there he saw the body of his brother lying in an ambulance. The complainant said his brother and his friend Shahzad had gone to Shah Noorani’s mazar on Tuesday morning.

He stated that he was informed that around 10:15pm they were returning on a motorcycle and when they reached at Manghopir Naka/Chowrangi, a parked police mobile indicated them to stop, but they did not stop the bike presumably due to the darkness.

The unidentified policemen opened fire on them and a bullet that hit Hashim in the back pierced through his chest and hit Shahzad. Hashim died on the spot.

The relatives told the media at the hospital that Hashim had been working in Dubai for the last one decade. He came to Karachi on March 8 for marriage that took place one month ago. He was supposed to return back on July 29.

SSP Memon said that the AVLC police was involved in the incident.

He said top authorities had ordered an inquiry to ascertain the circumstances which led to the loss of innocent life.

Manghopir SHO Khalid Abbasi said now policemen would be nominated and arrested in the case.

Meanwhile, a police spokesperson said that Karachi police chief Javed Alam Odho had taken notice of the killing of Hashim Magsi and ordered arrest of the culprits.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2023