HYDERABAD: An inspector of the Sindh Police Highway Patrol (SPHP) was among three held after he allegedly opened fire during an altercation in Hyderabad’s Paretabad, injuring three people.

Irshad Fakhruddin was stated to be in critical condition, with his family alleging that the SPHP inspector residing opposite their house opened fire following a minor dispute. The other two men injured were identified as Afaq Ishaq and Kamran Babu, who were passing by.

Hyderabad Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shahzeb Chachar confirmed that the inspector, who was currently posted in Jamshoro district, had been arrested.

The SSP further said that the inspector’s two gunmen mentioned in the first information report (FIR) were also detained.

The FIR, seen by Dawn, was lodged by Irshad’s brother Mohammad Waqas at Pinyari police station.

It invoked sections 324 (attempt to commit qatl-i-amd, or intentional murder), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), as well as sections 6 and 7 (terrorism and punishments for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

According to the FIR, the inspector kicked over a motorcycle parked by the complainant’s nephew, Naushad, drawing family members out of the house.

The complainant claimed that the inspector had also engaged in verbal arguments with them in the past “baselessly over parking a vehicle”.

During Wednesday morning’s altercation, the FIR said, the policeman got furious when asked why he kicked the motorcycle, used abusive language and allegedly hit a sister-in-law of the complainant in the stomach, who fell to the ground.

Subsequently, Irshad — Naushad’s father — emerged from the house and intervened, the complaint said. It added that two gunmen accompanying the inspector also tried to break up the fight, and in the meantime, the SPHP official allegedly opened fire at Irshad.

As a result, his brother and two passersby were injured and fell to the ground, the complainant said. He accused the inspector of spreading terror in the area by resorting to opening fire.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad’s Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) Police Surgeon Dr Wasim Khan said Irshad was taken to the hospital’s surgical ward to be operated on, and later transferred to the surgical intensive care unit (ICU).

ICU head Dr Kashif Memon told Dawn that the victim’s intestine and oesophagus were repaired during surgery. “He has been put on a ventilator for 24-hour observation,” the doctor added, terming Irshad’s condition critical.

According to LUH Medical Superintendent Dr Ershad Kazmi, Kamran was injured in his muscle — narrowly missing his spine — and was admitted to the neurology ward, while Afaq remained in the casualty ward with a minor foot injury.

Afaq, aged 45, told Dawn that he was leaving the area for work when the stray bullet struck him, but was “luckily saved as the bullet only hit my foot”.

Shahzeb, one of Irshad’s sons, told Dawn that their father had started recording the inspector’s alleged conduct on his mobile phone, which “infuriated” the SPHP official.

He said the inspector then “whipped out his pistol from his official car” and opened fire on his father, injuring him in the abdomen.