QUETTA, July 28: The imam of a mosque was shot dead by gunmen in Junior Assistant Colony area of the city on Thursday.

Police said that someone knocked at the door of Maulana Abdul Karim Mengal's house, located close to the Jamia Mosque. When he came out, the gunmen opened fire on him.

The assailants, who came on a motorcycle, fled from the crime scene.

The imam received many bullet injuries and was taken to the civil hospital where he died. The body was handed over to the family after autopsy.

A large number of people came out of their houses after the incident and blocked the roads leading to the Governor's House.

Police asked the protesters to remove barricades from the roads and restore traffic.

But the mob refused to end their protest till the arrest of the culprits.Traffic could not be restored till late evening.