At least two people, both workers of the outlawed Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), were shot dead in a suspected targeted attack in the Nagan Chowrangi area of Karachi on Monday.

The attack comes over a week after another worker of the ASWJ was shot dead on the main University Road in Karachi, while in a separate attack in March, a local leader of the party was shot.

“A religious scholar-cum-shopkeeper and his employee were shot dead in a suspected targeted attack at Nagan Chowrangi on Monday evening,” SSP Central Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqi told Dawn.com.

The incident occurred near an ASWJ office, he said.

“Armed pillion riders resorted to direct fire on the shopkeeper and his employee and fled,” said Siddiqi, adding that the incident “appeared to be a targeted killing” but the exact motive has not yet been ascertained.

“They sustained critical bullet injuries and were transported to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead on arrival,” added the police official.

“The deceased have been identified as 32-year-old Shah Ahmed, and 30-year-old Abu Bakar,” New Karachi police said in a separate statement.

“One of the deceased, Shah Ahmed, used to sell caps and perfumes,” SSP Central told Dawn.com.

Giving details of the investigation, he said, “Investigators have collected five bullet casings fired from a 9mm pistol. CCTV footage has also been obtained from the spot”.

AWSJ spokesperson Umar Muawiyah, told Dawn.com that the incident marked the second such attack against their party leaders in recent times, decrying the lack of security around their head office at Nagan Chowrangi.

However, Siddiqi told Dawn.com that they had enhanced vigilance in the area “informally.”

The ASWJ, a splinter group of the Sipah-e-Sahaba (SS), was formed after the government of former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf banned a handful of religious parties, including the SS in 2002.

In a first, suspect arrested via ‘facial recognition’

Separately, in a first for Karachi Police, a man was arrested using a “facial recognition” camera.

Detailing the development, South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza said, “an alert was received by ERV data operator that a motorcycle rider was passing through an area having a criminal history”.

“EVR staff immediately responded, stopped the person and checked his CNIC”, confirming the suspect’s identity.

DIG South, in his statement said, “There were six FIRs registered against him including under terror charges, Telegraph Act at different police stations.”

“He was arrested in five cases in the recent past while was declared as absconder in other cases,” he added.