KARACHI: Police on Thursday said that a held suspect who gunned down an army officer was linked with Lyari gang war.
“During investigation, it has [emerged] that ... suspect Nauman aka Maro, was a close associate of Lyari gang-war figure Omar Katchi,” said DIG East Amir Farooqi.
Nauman along with another suspect, Omar Farooq aka Balo, was arrested on Oct 30 over charges of killing Army Major Saqib Iqbal, 34, on main M.A. Jinnah Road near Sabri Nihari on June 6.
The martyred officer, resident of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, was posted at Malir Cantonment and was in civilian dress at the time of the incident.
Sharing details of the investigation, the DIG East revealed that the main accused in the murder case used to sit with Omar Katchi and another figure of gang war, Baba Lashari, on Street 6 in Nayabad where a gambling den was being operated by Omar Katchi in 2011-2014.
He was often seen carrying pistol, Kalashnikov and hand grenades.
DIG Farooqi disclosed that Nauman’s house was next to Omar Katchi’s immediate neighbour’s house in Bhutta Village, Keamari. “They were from the same community,” he said.
Omar Katchi was killed in an ‘encounter’ with police in Kharadar.
Nauman was also seen with other Lyari gang-war figures like Wasiullah Lakho, Jabbar aka Langra, Faisal Pathan and Sardar Asif Kanya in Singhu Lane area of Lyari in the past.
Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2019