ISLAMABAD, Nov 20: Golra police have recovered the bullet- riddled body of a taxi driver dumped out in the open at Dhoke Mughlan, Sarai Kharbooza, police said on Monday.

This is the third incident of killing of a taxi driver within the limits of Islamabad since February in which the killers made away with the vehicle.

Overall, five taxi drivers have so far been killed in the jurisdiction of Islamabad this year.

The deceased was identified as Shaukat Ali Khan, 28, a resident of Taxila. Police said the deceased was last seen at Taxila bus stand on November 17 while booking some persons for Islamabad.

However, his body was found lying out in the open at Dhoke Mughlan the next day.

The body was seized and shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) for autopsy. The family members of the deceased have identified the body.

Police believe that the killer (s) took away the vehicle after killing Shaukat Ali. The vehicle is yet to be recovered. A case has been registered and investigation started.

Earlier, a taxi driver, Mohammad Shahzad, 22, was found murdered at Dhok Abdullah in Sector I-14 in March, while another was killed in February. In these three incidents, the killers took away the vehicle.

Mir Afzal, 58, a resident of Bakramandi, was stabbed to death near Carriage Factory on August 27. However, his taxi was parked at some distance from the body.

Another taxi driver was found murdered in his vehicle at Chand Tara Chowk in the jurisdiction of Aabpara police station some months ago. In three incidents, the killers used some sharp piece of metal.

About two to three years back a gang of serial killers had become active in Tarnol and tortured some taxi drivers to death. However, the gang fled from Islamabad when one of their accomplices was arrested by the local police, a police source said, adding that it was yet to be ascertained if this was the same gang.