SHO suspended, demoted for shooting citizen in Gulshan

A 25-year-old man was injured when Station House Officer Rizwan Tanoli of Mobina Town shot him over mistaken identity outside a milk shop on Abul Hassan Isfahani Road on Saturday.

The police high-ups ordered suspension of the SHO and also reverted him from the rank after the incident that shocked the residents of the locality and caused embarrassment to the police force.

Officials said a complaint was filed by an uncle of the victim, Usman, narrating that his nephew was shot and injured by SHO Tanoli while he was buying milk from the shop. He demanded an FIR against the SHO.

SSP East Zubair Nazeer Shaikh appointed DSP Chaudhry Sohail Faiz, sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Sohrab Goth, as inquiry officer, saying action would be taken after the inquiry was completed. He said that if a police mistake came to light, a case would also be registered.

Talking to The News, SDPO Faiz said he visited the scene, talked witnesses, including the victim, and recorded their statements. Afterwards, he questioned the staff of Mobina Town police station, including SHO Tanoli.

During the inquiry, it was learnt that the police station had received a message that a mugging had taken place on Abul Hasan Isphani Road. At this, SHO Tanoli, who was in civvies, along with a private person, rushed on a motorcycle to the area and mistook Usman, who was actually buying milk from the shop, and one other person standing nearby as muggers.

The SHO, instead of ordering the suspects to surrender, fired a bullet, which hit the floor. The victim thought robbers had opened fire and offered the shooter his cellphone, asking him not to fire on him. However, the SHO fired another shot and this time the bullet hit a motorcycle. The motorcycle rider suspected the shooter was a motorcycle snatcher and asked him not to fire shots. SDPO Faiz said SHO Tanoli did not stop and fired a third shot and this time the bullet hit Usman in the leg. The injured was taken to the police station, but members of the public protested after they thought he had been kidnapped.

SDPO Faiz said that initially negligence was found on the part of SHO Tanoli, for which he had to face the legal procedure. The SHO was being suspended and demoted one rank down, he added.