KARACHI, Oct 24: Two passers-by were killed and a policeman was wounded when attackers opened fire on the car of a police sub-inspector posted at the Crime Investigation Department in Korangi on Monday, police said.

They said Sub-Inspector Ashiq Khosa of the CID was reportedly heading towards his Chakra Goth residence along with his 10-year-old son, Rehan, and nephew Mansoor in his car driven by his guard Mutahir Husain when armed men sprayed the vehicle with bullets.

Two men riding a motorcycle carried out the attack and managed to flee, the police said, adding that two passers-by — a boy and a 40-year-old man — were hit by bullets and they died on the spot.

The car driver, Husain, was also wounded in the attack in which SI Khosa, his son and nephew remained unhurt, the police said.

The bodies were moved to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

The deceased were iden-tified as 12-year-old Ali Mohammad Chandio, who worked at a nearby tea stall, and Mukhtiar Ali, 40, who was a resident of Chakra Goth but originally hailed from Qambar-Shahdadkot.

SSP East Javed Odho told Dawn that it appeared that SI Khosa was the target of the attack. However, he said, the real motive behind the attack could only be ascertained through further investigations.

The police found four spent bullet casings of a 9mm pistol from the crime-scene.

Following the incident, tension gripped the Chakra Goth locality and shopkeepers closed down their businesses.Some area people protested against the killings of the innocent people and chanted slogans against the police and administration. The protestors also set fire to tyres, but dispersed when police arrived there.

SI Khosa has been posted at the CID police for nearly 10 years.