KARACHI: An activist of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was shot dead and his associate along with another man was wounded in a targeted attack in the old city area on Thursday, police said.

The officials added that the drive-by shooting was carried out at a spices shop in the wholesale market of Jodia Bazaar.

The attackers managed to disappear into the narrow lanes of the congested locality, the police said.

The victims were rushed to the Civil Hospital Karachi, where Mohammad Qadafi, 31, was pronounced dead on arrival. His friend Mohammad Waqas, 25, and shop owner Abdul Qadir, 55, were admitted to hospital in a critical condition. The police quoted hospital sources as saying that Mr Qadafi had sustained seven gunshot wounds in the chest, while Mr Waqas and Mr Qadir sustained two gunshot wounds each.

The officials said that both Mr Qadafi and Mr Waqas belonged to same unit of the MQM. However, they added, a few months ago the former had relocated to New Karachi from Kharadar.

The police investigators said a 9mm pistol was used in the attack. They seized several spent bullet casings of the weapon from the crime-scene.

The officials said Mr Waqas told them about the number of attackers before being shifted to the operating theatre.

Man killed A middle-aged man was killed in the Paper Market area of Kharadar where he had come to pick up his son as a matter of routine.

The area police said that armed men riding a motorcycle targeted Saleem Memon, 55, a resident of Jamshed Road, when he came to pick up his son from his mother’s place.

“The couple had separated seven years ago,” said a duty officer at the Kharadar police station.

He added that the victim used to visit Kharadar on a daily basis to take his son from his mother’s home to the stock exchange and drop him back.

The police said they were investigating the case though the family had not told them anything that could give a clue to the killers.

Man found shot dead A young man was found shot dead off the Lyari Expressway near a Gulshan-i-Iqbal locality on Thursday, police said.

They added that the body was found near Essa Nagri.

The victim said to be in his mid-20s had been shot in the head, said DSP Nasir Lodhi.

The DSP said it seemed that the victim had been kidnapped and shot dead before his body was dumped at the scene.

The police shifted the body to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities.

Body found The decomposed body of a person was spotted and shifted from a pit near Northern Bypass to a hospital for a post-mortem examination on Thursday, police said.

The officials said some area people informed them that dogs were digging up human remains at a deserted spot.

The police rushed to the scene and dug up the decomposed body. They suspected that the victim had been killed about 15 days ago.

They later shifted the body to the Civil Hospital Karachi for a post-mortem examination.