Two alleged murderers of CTD official killed in shootout

Personnel of Sindh’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed gunning down two men on Saturday who were alleged to be involved in the killing of a CTD official a few days ago.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Omer Shahid Hamid of the CTD’s Intelligence Wing said that on September 20, Assistant Sub-Inspector Shahab Haider was shot dead in the Jamshed Quarters area in the wee hours of Tuesday while he was going home located in the Ancholi area of Gulberg Town.

The 45-year-old was riding a motorcycle towards his home from the CTD Headquarters in Civil Lines at 4am when some armed men who were busy looting motorists on Jahangir Road tried to rob him as well. When the father-of-two put up resistance and made a bid to overpower the outlaws, they shot him and escaped from the scene.

Later, a team, led by Raja Umer Khattab, incharge of the Transnational Terrorists Intelligence Group of the department, conducted a probe with the collaboration of local police.

During the course of the investigation, the team was tipped off that the criminals involved in the murder of ASI Haider were present in Baloch Para near Jehangir Road.

Acting on information, Khattab along with his team raided the locality. On seeing the police, the suspects opened fire, which was returned by the police. After the encounter, the police arrested two men in an injured condition while their associates fled.

The injured men were moved to Civil Hospital Karachi, where they were pronounced dead. Two pistols were said to have been found on them.

SSP Hamid said one of the seized weapons matched with the confiscated spent bullet shells found at the murder scene.

Khattab said the suspects were identified as Sohail alias Shooter and Sarfaraz alias Kala. He said both were habitual criminals who were involved in killings and a number of robberies.

The outlaws used to rob citizens in the wee hours on Jehangir Road.

Khattab said ASI Haider was attached with him as a professional team member and, during his service in the CTD, he said the official had worked on militant organisations and remained active against them.

He was said to have also worked on the militant wing of a political party in Karachi and arrested several of its members involved in heinous crimes.

The slain police official was the only breadwinner of his family, as his two brother-in-laws were
also targeted on sectarian grounds.  He had been looking after his sisters’ families.