50-year-old shot dead at his shop

The recent spree of killings in Karachi continued on Sunday as a shop owner, a man in his early 50s, was shot dead in a gun attack at his establishment in the Patel Para area in the afternoon.

Soldier Bazaar police identified the victim as Muhammad Younus, 52, and said he was targeted at his shop, Al-Hamd Nimko, located near the Fish Bazaar in the vicinity. 

Investigators said Younus was a resident of the same area and was tending to his shop when two men on a motorcycle pulled up outside. Officials said that when the attackers entered the shop, Younus attempted to fight them off on which they opened fire at him from close range.

The attackers managed to make an easy escape and area people rushed Younus to the Civil Hospital Karachi for treatment.

However, the victim passed away soon after and doctors said he had been shot multiple times in the chest.

Given the rising sectarian tensions in the city over the past week, Younus’ murder could well be another related targeted attack. Police, though, were hesitant to confirm anything as yet and said all possible aspects would be investigated.

 

Suicide

A 27-year-old resident of Madina Colony, Ashfaq, son of Rab Nawaz, took his life after an argument at his home on Sunday. Following a quarrel, he used a ceiling fan to hang himself, and later his body was shifted to CHK. 

 

Mishap

In another incident, while cleaning his house, 45-year-old Fateh Muhammad lost his life after he fell from the rooftop in Gulshan-e-Ghazi area within Baldia Town. His body was later taken to CHK. 

 

CPLC crime report

The Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) has released a report on mobile phones snatched between the period of January and October in Karachi, reflecting an unending trend in street crime and mobile snatching.

According to the CPLC report, 29,536 mobile phones were snatched from January till October.

In the month of January, 3,138 phones were snatched, while the figure for February stood at 2,917.

2,882 mobile phones were snatched in March, while in April the number stood at 2,839.

Figures for the months of May, June and July stood at 3,072, 2,819 and 3,034, respectively. The number of phones snatched during the months of August, September and October were 3,210, 3,006 and 2,819, respectively. The highest number of muggings was reported from Gulshan-e-Iqbal as 4,881 phones were snatched during the period.

 

Gadani fire death toll rises to 26

The death toll from an explosion and fire at the Gadani ship-breaking yard last week has risen to 26, officials said on Sunday.

More than 50 others were wounded in the incident when a gas cylinder exploded and started a fire inside an oil tanker at the Gadani yard in Balochistan.

“Six more wounded from the Gadani shipyard have died, so the new toll is now 26,” Zulfiqar Hashmi, a local government official, told AFP.

“One person died at home after being discharged from hospital while five others expired in hospital,” he said. Muhammad Hashim, commissioner of Kalat region of which Gadani is a part, confirmed the new toll.

Later, around 50 people blocked a highway connecting Gadani to Karachi to protest what they said was insufficient care for those injured in the blast.

They lay the body of one dead worker on the road and chanted slogans against the government, demanding better medical care for the wounded and compensation for the families of the dead.

Hashim said the government was trying to negotiate with the protesters and was working towards finalising compensation offers for the grieving relatives.

Pakistan has banned all activities at the shipbreaking yard in Gadani and a probe is underway. A high-level committee formed by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to investigate the causes of the fire held its first meeting in the port city of Karachi Saturday and said it would finalise a report within a week.

Industrial accidents are common in Pakistan, with workplaces often forgoing basic safety measures and equipment in the absence of legislation to protect labourers.  A devastating fire at a textile factory in Karachi killed 255 people in 2012.