‘Lone knifeman’ exposes police, govt incompetency

One lone “knifeman” terrorising the female population of the financial hub of the country has exposed not only the extent of incompetency of the police force but also the powerlessness of the Sindh government. The series of attacks are, in effect, a black spot on the authorities’ performance.

After talking to Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on the phone, Karachi police chief Addl IGP Mushtaq Mahar, announced an important arrest on Thursday in connection with the attacks, but the tall claim fell flat when another woman was injured in Gulistan-e-Jauhar.

“A 28-year-old woman was attacked near the Continental Bakery,” Gulshan-e-Iqbal SP Ghulam Murtaza Bhutto told The News. “She was taken to the Darul Sehat Hospital (DSH).”

Dr Basalat Hussain, who treated all the girls and women taken to the DSH after they were attacked by the “knifeman”, said: “This time the man attacked his target from the front. The woman suffered wounds on her abdomen and elbows.”  

A dozen wounded

Before Thursday’s attack, East Range DIGP Sultan Ali Khawaja had released the details of the female citizens attacked by the “knifeman”. The police information stated that 11 girls and women had fallen victim to the elusive man in 10 days (until Wednesday).

The man launched his spree on September 25, when he attacked and injured three female citizens in the jurisdiction of the Sharea Faisal police station.

The next day he attacked and injured two more in the jurisdiction of the Gulistan-e-Jauhar police station, and another in the jurisdiction of the Sharea Faisal police station on September 28.

A day earlier, on October 4, the “knifeman” wounded five girls and women: three were attacked in the jurisdiction of the Sharea Faisal police station and one each in the jurisdictions of the Gulshan-e-Iqbal and the Aziz Bhatti police stations.

The telephone call

Earlier in the day, CM Shah called police chief Mahar, who briefed the chief executive on the steps taken by the city police for arresting the attacker.

Mahar informed Shah that the police had taken 15 suspects into custody and made an important arrest in connection with the knife attack case. The CM told the police chief that he wanted results.

Later, Mahar announced a reward of Rs500,000 for anyone who could help the police locate and identify the attacker. He said they had deployed two teams to arrest the person or persons involved in the attacks that were causing fear among the people.

One of the police teams is being headed by Crime Investigation Agency DIG Ismail Memon and the other by East Range DIG Khawaja, added Addl IGP Mahar.

He observed that the man behind the knife attacks was most likely a “psychopath”. The police are working on a few available clues, and the people involved in similar cases in the past have been detained to get the picture, he said.

Mahar contradicted

Sindh police chief IGP AD Khowaja rejected Mahar’s claims, saying that there had been no “important arrest”. SP Bhutto also rejected the city police chief’s claims, saying that all the 15 detainees were released after they were found innocent during interrogation.

Rangers jump in

Since the law enforcement agency has failed to locate the “knifeman”, the Sindh Rangers have jumped in to lend a hand. An official of the paramilitary force told The News that like the police, they also believed that one man was behind the attacks.

Ruling out the possibility that an organised group might be involved, the official said the “knifeman” seemed to be skilled because he was yet to leave any clue behind on the scene of his attacks that could help arrest him.  

Police seek public help

Since the attacker remains untraceable, the Sindh police chief has appealed to the public and the media to help them arrest the man. The Karachi police chief also asked the people not to panic and to provide them with any information that might aid in their investigations.

Addl IGP Mahar requested the media to report all such incidents but advised them against sensationalising them because it could encourage the attacker or give confidence to other psychopaths to follow in the footsteps of the “knifeman”.