• DIG Shaikh says he cannot immediately verify banned outfit’s claim
• Spent bullet casings did not match any weapon in police record, says CTD official
• Slain Ali Raza laid to rest after funeral prayers at Central Police Office

KARACHI: While the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Monday evening claimed responsibility for the assassination of Counter-Terrorism Department DSP Ali Raza, investigators probing the killing have come across a challenging situation after the forensic analysis of the spent bullet casings recovered from the crime scene revealed that the murder weapon was not previously used in any crime.

CTD’s DSP Ali Raza was shot dead by armed pillion riders in his old neighbourhood in Shakeel Corporation, Karimabad on Sunday.

A social media statement, said to be released by the outlawed TTP, stated that DSP Raza was targeted by its militants. However, DIG-CTD Asif Ejaz Shaikh did not agree with the claim and told Dawn that he could not verify it right now.

About media reports that said a hitherto group Al-Fajr had claimed responsibility for the killing, the DIG said there was no such organisation and it was just a group on social media. He did not elaborate.

Earlier in the day, the investigators probing the killing of DSP Raza said that they had come to know that the murder weapon, a pistol, had not been used in any previous murder case.

Sources said that they were now focusing on acquiring CCTV footage to ascertain the identity of the killers.

CTD’s senior official Raja Umar Khattab told Dawn that the investigators did not find a match of spent bullet casings that killed the DSP.

He said there were two assailants riding a motorcycle who resorted to indiscriminate firing on DSP Raza.

No FIR has been lodged till late in the night as the police are waiting for slain officer’s heir to register a case.

Funeral prayers for slain DSP Raza were held at the Central Police Office (CPO) and attended by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Home Minister Zia Lanjar, Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon, senior officials and his family members.

The CM also met with the family members of the slain officer and vowed to bring the culprits to justice very soon.

He said that the police had given tremendous sacrifices in fight against terrorism.

Later, the slain officer was laid to rest in the Wadi-i-Hussain graveyard on Superhighway amid moving scenes.

‘Different angles being explored’

The home minister told the media that police were investigating the case from different angles.

He said DSP Raza was posted in the CTD for a long time. He was assassinated on the eve of first of Muharram and, therefore, the investigators were probing possible sectarian motives behind the murder, he added.

He had also taken action against Lyari gangsters and outlawed TTP and there was an old enmity between these groups and the slain officer, he added.

In the evening, the home minister chaired a meeting to review the law and order situation as well as security arrangements for Muharram at the CPO.

The minister said all procession routes should be considered ‘sensitive’ and extraordinary security should be provided.

The IGP assured that the Sindh police were ready and alert to handle Muharram security and had already deployed additional force in all districts.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2024