Eight people, including a People’s Aman Committee (PAC) activist and an assistant sub-inspector, were killed in separate incidents in the city, police said on Friday.

A bullet-riddled body, wrapped in a blanket, was found at the main road of Ehsanabad, Gulshan-e-Maymar in the morning.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer Iftikhar Lodhi of the Sohrab Goth Division said the body was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH), where an examination revealed that the victim was brutally tortured before being killed.

The police found a card on the body through which the victim was identified as 25-year-old Shahzad, a resident of Mid City Apartments in Teen Hatti, Liaquatabad.

The police officer said he went to the address along with his team, where the watchman of the apartments, when showed the victim’s picture, denied seeing him before and said the person did not reside in the building.

The police then showed the picture to the nearby shopkeepers, but they were also unaware of who the deceased was.

Later, they went to a mosque some distance away from the apartments and met with the Moazzin there. However, he too, denied knowing the victim.

The sub-divisional police officer said after obtaining permission from the Moazzin, he made an announcement using the mosque’s loudspeakers about the victim. When the police went back to the apartments, they saw a young woman weeping. When the police officer showed her the picture, she fainted. After regaining consciousness, the woman identified the deceased as her husband.

The police took her to the Edhi morgue. She told the police that two days ago, she and her husband had left home at about 11pm to purchase some medicines. When they could not find them, her husband sent her home, saying that he would return after buying the medicines. However, when he did not return, she became worried and tried to search for him on her own as her family had told her not to contact the police.

The sub-divisional police officer said during investigations, a man identifying himself as Dr Imam Deen Chandio had contacted him and claimed that the deceased was his relative and had no enmity with anyone.

He added that the murder appeared to be part of the ongoing target killing spree, but other angles would also be probed.

Another bullet-riddled body was found in bushes in Mawach Goth, Mauripur.

Mauripur SHO Atif Khan said the body was shifted to the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) for autopsy. Initial investigations revealed that the victim, Dur Mohammad, was a resident of Mawach Goth and belonged to the Sheraz Comrade group of the banned PAC.

He added that the deceased was brutally tortured before being murdered. The SHO said Dur Mohammad was wanted by the Mauripur police in murder cases and had absconded after recently killing a rickshaw driver in the area. There were also cases registered against him at other police stations of the city, mostly in Lyari.

Separately, a man was targeted in Ramswami, Garden in the wee hours of the day.

Garden SHO Athar Ali said the victim, Junaid, was taken to the CHK, where he died during treatment.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Junaid was a motorcycle mechanic and a resident of Chappa Gali in the Old City area. He had left home on Thursday night and was attacked by unidentified men.

The deceased suffered three bullet wounds on different parts of his body. Investigators said the deceased was a Muttahida Qaumi Movement supporter and believed that the murder could be another target killing.

In another case, a man was at attacked at the main Shershah Road, near Pankha Hotel in Pak Colony.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer Kamran Nawaz of the SITE Division said the victim, Sajid Baloch, was shifted to the ASH, where he succumbed to his injuries.

During investigations, it was found that the deceased was a resident of Jahanabad, Shershah. He had left home for some work in the morning and was on his way at the main Shershah Road when two men tried to kidnap him. However, he resisted their attempt and shouted for help, following which the two men shot him.

The deceased suffered five bullet wounds on different parts of his body. The police found empty 9mm pistol bullet shells at the crime scene.

Investigators said the victim had no political affiliation or enmity with anyone. They suspected that the murder could be another target killing case. However, they added, other possibilities would also be investigated.

Another man was murdered near the PNSC Flats in Buffer Zone, Taimuria.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer Raja Mohammed Ilyas of the Shadman Division said the victim, 25-year-old Mohammed Imran, ran a tyre puncture repair shop and was busy working there in the afternoon when two men on motorcycle opened fire on him.

Passers-by shifted him to the ASH, where he died.

The deceased suffered three bullet wounds on his upper torso. The police also found empty 9mm pistol bullet shells at the crime scene.

The police officer said the deceased was a resident of North Karachi, Khwaja Ajmer Nagri. He added that the deceased had gotten married three days ago, and according to his family, had no enemies. He was murdered on his first day of work after his wedding.

Investigators believed that the murder could be another target killing. They said there were reports that the victim supported a religious group and that could have been the motive behind his killing. However, they added, it was too early to establish the motive. The victim hailed from Lahore.

In a late night development, an assistant sub-inspector was targeted in Pathan Colony, SITE.

SSP Amir Farooqi of District West said the police rushed to the crime scene where the residents told them that the victim was taken to the Walika Hospital. When another police party reached the hospital, they were informed that the victim was moved to the ASH. Later, the police found that the policeman had succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

The SSP said the victim, 35-year-old Assistant Sub-Inspector Ghuffran Din, was posted at the Crime Investigation Department (CID) Sindh.

During investigations, it was found that the deceased was present outside his house when two men on a motorcycle opened fire on him.

The deceased suffered four bullet wounds, two on his head and the rest on his stomach. The police found empty 9mm pistol bullet shells at the crime scene.

Investigators termed the murder as yet another target killing. They added that the deceased was performing duties as an escort commander in the CID and earlier, he was an escort commander of former CID Sindh DIG Mushtaq Mehar.

They said the murdered policeman had also participated in operations against anti-state elements including terrorists belonging to banned religious outfits, mostly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and that could be the reason he was targeted. However, they said other angles would be probed as well.

In a separate case, a man was attacked late in the night at the Mazedar Haleem restaurant in Block-M of North Nazimabad.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer Raja Ilyas of the Shadman Division said the victim, Abdullah Baloch, was eating at the restaurant, when two men on a motorcycle arrived there. One of them entered the restaurant and opened fire on Baloch. The police officer said the body was moved to the ASH for autopsy.

He added that the police found empty 9mm pistol bullet shells at the crime scene. According to the medical report, the deceased suffered two bullet wounds on his upper torso.

Investigators said the victim was a supporter of a political party and the murder could be another target killing. They added that the deceased was a resident of Block-N, North Nazimabad.

In yet another case, the bullet-riddled body of a teenager was found near Farooqia Masjid, Garden late in the night.

Garden SHO Athar Ali said the body was shifted to the CHK for post-mortem.

During investigations, the victim was identified as 15-year-old Ehtasham Iqbal. He was a resident of Junna Bhatti in the Old City area.

He had left home to purchase something when unidentified men kidnapped him. They tortured the victim before murdering him and dumped his body.

Police believed the murder was part of the ongoing target killing spree.