KARACHI: Six persons, including a rag-picker, a rickshaw driver and a roadside vendor, were shot dead in separate violent incidents in different areas of the city on Saturday, police said.

In Baldia Town, a rag-picker was shot dead when he was busy in his regular work, said the police, adding that armed men fired shots at 22-year-old Barkat Khan when he was going to some place on a bicycle in Baldia Town No 4 ½.

“The victim was a resident of Afridi Colony in Baldia Town,” said an official at the Baldia Town police station.

He said the motive and the people behind the killing could not be ascertained as the victim’s family members did not share any information or express their suspicion on anyone.

The body was shifted to the Civil Hospital Karachi, where the family took it away without legal formalities, said the official.

In the Landhi area, the police found the bullet-riddled body of a rickshaw driver.

Officials said the victim, identified as 22-year-old Khurram Sardar Ali alias Shani, was a resident of Korangi’s 51-B Area and found shot dead in the area between Landhi No 6 and the 5-D area.

“The police found the body close to a bus stop called Navy Building,” said Landhi SHO Mazhar Iqbal Awan. “Area people, however, said he was killed by some armed men when he was passing that place in his rickshaw. The body was handed over to the family after completing medico-legal formalities at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.”

The area SHO said the victim was not affiliated with any political or religious group. The family also ruled out any personal enmity behind his killing, he added.A similar killing of roadside vendor took place in PIB Colony.

Police said armed riders shot dead 42-year-old Abdul Karim Ghanchi, who was standing by his stall near Meena Bazaar. He sustained two bullet wounds and died on the spot. The body was shifted to the JPMC for medico-legal formalities.

“He was a resident of the same area where the incident took place. He sold spices and other items,” said Assistant Sub-Inspector Rana Ajmal of the PIB Colony police station.

He confirmed that the area where the incident took place had been badly affected in the recent violence where only a couple of days ago three policemen were killed in an armed attack.

In the early hours of the day, a suspected criminal was found shot dead in North Nazimabad.

The area police said the body was thrown out from a moving car near the DC Office bus stop.

“The victim, who appears to be his late-twenties, was hit by multiple bullets. He was identified as Imran Hussain Baloch,” said Inspector Kamal Nasim, the SHO of the Taimuria police station. “As we gathered facts, it came to our knowledge that the victim had a criminal record. He used to be a member of one of the criminal gangs operating in Lyari, and now lived in the Manghopir area.”

The bullet-riddled body of a young man was found in the Korangi area on Saturday, police said.

They said the victim was identified as 27-year-old Shahid Afzal, who had been missing since Friday night. He was an employee of a private company.

“The victim was a resident of Shah Faisal Colony and worked with a private firm in Kornagi,” said Inspector Naik Mohammad Jakhrani, the SHO of the Ibrahim Hyderi police station.

“He originally hailed from southern Punjab. After talking to his family members and friends, we have reasons to believe that his killing was motivated by some personal enmity.

Investigations are going on and we don’t think it would be appropriate to reveal the details right now.”

A teenage Madressah student was shot dead in Malir on Saturday, police said.

They said two students of Madressah Al-Arabia Islamia in Ghazi Town, Malir, came out of the seminary in the evening when armed motorcyclists emerged there, fired shots on them and rode away.

“One of the students, 17-year-old Muhammad Dawood was hit by a bullet in the chest,” said DSP Rao Iqbal, the area’s sub-divisional police officer. “He was shifted to the JPMC where he died. The other student remained unhurt. We are not sure about the motive behind the firing.”