KARACHI, March 6: The driver of slain Gwadar Deputy Commissioner Abdul Rehman Dashti saved his life by running away on Monday night after he overheard the murderers who also planned to kill him.

As police were busy exploring probable motives for the killing of Mr Dashti (his designation was inadvertently published on Tuesday as district coordination officer), his close friends and family expressed shock over the incident, saying his friendship with the main suspect, Mir Imam Bizenjo, dated back 30 years.

Officials close to the investigation quoted the DC’s driver Badal as saying that Mr Dashti had suddenly left his residence on Khayaban-i-Sehr late in the night. He told his family that he was going to see Mir Imam and would have dinner on return from there.

As the DC and his driver reached the house on Khayaban-i-Tanzeem in his official car, Mir Imam and his two guards also arrived there in his black Prado.

Appearing to be in an aggressive mood, Mir Imam took Mr Dashti inside the house. The other men also went into the house, the driver told police.

About two or three minutes later, the driver heard a gunshot from inside the house. Moments later, he overheard someone saying that the driver was outside and he should also be killed, the investigators said.

Getting scared, the driver ran to the 26th Street, hired a rickshaw and reached Mr Dashti’s house.

He informed the family about the incident and they went to the Darakshan police station.

The station house officer (SHO) rushed to the place along with the complainant.

By that time, Mr Dashti’s body had been placed in his car which had been moved a few yards away from the house, police said.

The accused Mir Imam alias Imam Bheel had gone away, leaving behind his two employees, Yar Mohammad and Rafiq Ahmed, who were detained by police.

They had washed the porch but police found blood stains and a spent bullet casing.

During questioning, the DC’s driver said that whenever Mr Dashti came to Karachi he used to go to Mir Imam’s place almost every night.

A police official said Mr Dashti had been shot in the face at point-blank range.

Clifton police registered a first information report (FIR) under Section 302 in which Imam Bheel, alias Imam Buksh Bizenjo, was named as suspect on the complaint of Maqbool Hasan, nephew of the slain official.

It may be mentioned that on May 30, 2009, the name of Mir Yaqub Bizenjo, son of Imam Bheel alias Imam Buksh Bizenjo, had appeared on a list of world’s four leading drug barons issued by the White House along with an order signed by President Barack Obama seeking sanctions against them.