Guard held in raid for Shahzain Mari’s arrest in Sea View shooting case

Police on Monday raided the residence of a political personality belonging to Balochistan over his alleged involvement in a shooting at a restaurant in Karachi’s Sea View area a day earlier.

A heavy contingent of the Clifton Division police raided the residence of Shahzain Mari, who, according to a police investigation, was found involved in a shooting at a restaurant, whose manager was wounded in the incident.

According to the police investigation, Mari opened fire at the restaurant staff for delaying the delivery of his order, and he was apparently drunk at the time of the incident. Police said they have taken a security guard named Ghulam Qadir into custody, adding that Mari was not present at the house at the time of the raid.

Talking to The News, the South Zone police chief confirmed that the police had raided Mari’s residence. DIG Irfan Baloch said Mari’s security guard had been arrested, while Mari himself was yet to be found.

The officer said that both Mari and his security guard were involved in the shooting, adding that the police were looking for Mari so he could be arrested. It was reported earlier that an unidentified man had opened fire at the restaurant in the early hours of Sunday and wounded the manager. Police had said that a drunk man had been misbehaving with the restaurant staff. The restaurant management had informed the police on their helpline.

However, before the police could arrive, the customer, who was holding a rifle, fired shots at the restaurant and injured the manager. The man then fled from the scene of the crime. Police said that the manager, who was hit in the foot, was rushed to the hospital. The injured said in his police statement that the staff was having their Sehri when the man entered the premises and got angry upon seeing no one at the counter.