Final-year BBA student shot dead by muggers in Korangi

A final-year BBA student of a private university whose wedding was to take place next year was gunned down by muggers in Korangi late on Monday night. He was laid to rest on Tuesday.

The Karachi police chief paid a visit to the victim’s house. The Sindh chief minister also took notice of the incident, and sought a report from the provincial police chief. The SHO of the Korangi Industrial Area was suspended over the murder.

Late on Tuesday night, a Taiser Town resident was gunned down for resisting a mugging bid in the Karsaz area. With the latest killings in the street crime incident, the number of people who have been shot dead by muggers this year has increased to 35 in a little over two months.

The Korangi incident took place near Saad bin Maaz Masjid in Allah Wala Town, where robbers gunned down Muhammad Laraib, 22, and escaped with his phone. His body was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

The eldest among four children, Laraib was the resident of the KDA Employees Housing Society in Korangi. After leaving for home from his friend’s house, he was stopped by suspects on a motorbike who shot him during the attempt to mug him.

Laraib suffered a gunshot injury near his left eye without an exit wound. Police said the victim’s phone was not found on him, suggesting that the suspects had made off with it. The victim’s father Muhammad Hussain told the media that Laraib had left home for the gym. He said his son was writing a book on basic accounting.

Hussain pointed out that the suspects attempted to snatch his phone, which contained data related to his book, which was why he resisted the mugging attempt.

“My son was the top student of his class. On March 6 there was supposed to be a ceremony for the unveiling of his book, for which his friends from different countries, including Malaysia, were coming to participate.”

His phone contained details of his book and the title page. “Laraib showed it to me, and I suggested he share it with his friends, but he insisted it was a secret and he would share it with everyone when the book was unveiled.”

He said that the young man who wrote a book to glorify Pakistan has been killed. “Today the book exists, but my son doesn’t. What’s the point of such a system where anyone can be killed at anytime and anywhere?” he lamented. “Where is our government? Where are our law enforcement agencies? If this continues, it will become very difficult for people to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.”

Laraib was engaged, with plans for marriage next year. “We were preparing for his wedding. His marriage was scheduled for January next year,” the father shared. The funeral prayer for the deceased was offered at Saad bin Maaz Masjid in Sector 31 of Korangi, and it was attended by a large number of his family and relatives. He was later buried at the Korangi graveyard.

Police said two men on a motorbike were behind the incident, which took place apparently due to resisting a phone snatching bid, adding that one of the suspects fired a bullet that hit the victim near his eye, which killed him. Police recovered an empty shell of a 30-bore pistol from the crime scene and sent it to the forensic division. They are also looking for CCTV camera footage to trace the suspects.

Taking notice of the incident, CM Syed Murad Ali Shah sought a report on the incident from the Sindh police chief, directing him to investigate and arrest the killers immediately. “Students are valuable assets of the province, and ensuring their safety is a matter of the utmost importance,” a statement issued by the CM House quoted Shah as saying.

He ordered increasing police patrolling and setting up additional checkpoints in the areas where robberies are reported frequently so that criminal activities are deterred and residents safeguarded. He said that increasing incidents of snatching are a cause for concern.