KARACHI, Oct 24: The police have prepared sketches of the three suspects involved in the killings of Christians at Rimpa Plaza with the help of the second survivor, Robin Sharif, who is recovering at a private hospital.

“Though he is mentally upset and faints repeatedly, Robin Sharif has given us description of the three assailants involved in the killings, thus hand-made sketches have been prepared by the experts”, a senior police official told Dawn on Thursday.

Robin Sharif, assistant communication coordinator of Idara Amn-o-Insaf, had been seriously wounded but survived the attack. His seven colleagues were killed in the incident.

Robin was admitted to a private hospital where he was kept in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). “He is fast recovering and his memory is also intact. He can open his eyes and speaks in broken sentences. Right now he is not in a condition to record his statement”, SSP Investigation (Homicide), Manzoor Mughal, told Dawn.

He said: “We have deployed officials to provide security to Robin Sharif as he is the key witness of the incident and after recovery may lead the police to the culprits.”

Conflicting reports about the whereabouts of Robin Piran Ditta, following his release on Tuesday, proved incorrect on Thursday. This scribe visited Ditta’s residence in Azam Basti, Mehmoodabad, where his presence was confirmed. However, Robin declined to talk to the press.

A man came out and identified himself as “Ashraf Bhatti”, a cousin of Robin. He told this reporter that Robin did not wish to talk to the press or the media and was mentally upset.

The two policemen present on guard outside his house, when asked whether they had seen Robin, said they presumed that he (Robin) was present in his house, as they could not identify him.

POLICE STATMENT: A spokesman of the capital city police said on Thursday that the conduct of the Karachi police in the Robin Piran Ditta’s case was clean and clear, and they had not resorted to any extra legal measures.

He was kept in protective custody after obtaining an MPO from the home department, government of Sindh, on the basis of the report of the special branch, which said that his life was in immense danger, the spokesman added.

According to the spokesman, Mr Ditta had many times expressed fear of being killed by the terrorists saying that they were very dangerous people and were after his life.

The investigation branch, Saddar Town, had been declared as a sub-jail by the home department and it was there that Mr Robin Piran Ditta was kept in protective custody, said the spokesman.

The spokesman further said that the conduct and behaviour of Mr Robin Piran Ditta during his stay had been far from satisfactory and he had been repeatedly contradicting his own statements. When he was put to the polygraph test (lie-detection test), the opinion of the experts was that “he is concealing facts probably because of guilt” and, therefore, further probe into the matter was required.

The spokesman said that since Ditta was in legal custody and the Sindh High Court had been told on Oct 8, 2002, that his life was in danger, the question of subjecting him to third-degree methods did not arise.

“The Nazir of the Sindh High Court met him and examined him on Oct 9 and his report was submitted on Oct 21. If there were torture marks on Mr Robin Piran Ditta’s body, one wonders why he was not sent for medical examination and why the report was submitted after a lapse of 12 days”, the spokesman said.

The spokesman categorically stated that the marks mentioned by the Nazir in his report were actually the result of physical torture inflicted on him by the terrorists on the day of the incident. “Furthermore, after being released on Oct 22 he was neither picked up nor detained by the Karachi police, rather it was the jail authorities who produced him before the Sindh High Court for completion of legal formalities in order for him to be released formally”, the spokesman said and added that since that day Mr Robin Ditta had not been in any sort of custody. The spokesman said that contradictory statements by Mr Robin Piran Ditta had caused suspicions in the minds of investigation officers as to the true motive behind the murders. “The response of the people concerned has not been very supporting. They have resorted to protest, roadblocks and processions, and filed constitutional petitions for the release of the only eyewitness, to create impediments in the investigation of the case”, said the spokesman.

The spokesman recalled the murder, a few months back, of Edwin Moon, who was heading Idara Amn-o-Insaf, where the murders under question took place. He said that Edwin Moon was also killed in mysterious circumstances. “He was tied to a chair and a lethal injection was administered to him. That case too is being investigated minutely”, the spokesman said.

The spokesman said that all motives conceivable in the case were being taken into account and the investigation officers had been extra cautious in handling the witness.

“One question that remains unanswered is why the criminals left Robin Piran Ditta unhurt? Robin Piran Ditta has not been able to answer this question and explain his conduct to the entire satisfaction of the investigators”, said the spokesman.