Another police official martyred in 48 hours

In the second incident of a police official’s target killing within 48 hours, a policeman was gunned down in the Orangi Town neighbourhood on Monday.

The incident took place when the deceased official, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Rizwan, 40, son of Abdul Kareem, was standing at a meat shop located near Subhani Masjid in Orangi Town No 13 within the limits of the Iqbal Market police station.

Police officials said at least two armed men riding a motorcycle targeted the ASI, adding that the deceased was shot twice in his head and face and died on the spot. The armed assailants managed to escape after committing the crime.

The body was shifted to Abbassi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal formalities and later handed over to the family for burial.

Following the target killing, the police and Rangers reached the site to investigate the incident. Police investigators collected at least two empty shells of a 9mm pistol from the crime scene and also claimed to have obtained CCTV footage of the incident that was recorded by cameras nearby.

According to District West SSP Shaukat Khatiyan, the martyred ASI was posted to the Iqbal Market police station. The SSP explained that the policeman was targeted by the armed motorcyclists when he left the police station for some work. “He was going somewhere in Orangi Town and stayed at a meat shop where armed assailants targeted and martyred him.”

This was not the first time, ASI Rizwan was targeted in an armed attack. Earlier in 2012, he survived a targeted attack in the Banaras area in which he was critically injured while his fellow policeman, Mohsin, embraced martyrdom.

Zone West has witnessed a surge in target killings and other violent incidents of late as during the last few months, leaders, workers and offices of political parties have come under attack in the area, besides the killings of two policemen.

Commenting on the rise in criminal activities in Zone West, police officials said the suspects involved in political violence and a previous killing of a policeman in the Pak Colony area had already been arrested while the police were now looking for the suspects involved in the recent killing.

The funeral prayers for the martyred police official were offered at the police headquarters, Garden, on Monday which were attended by, besides his family members and relatives, a large number of senior police and Rangers officials, including Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh Dr Syed Kaleem Imam and Rangers Director General Major General Muhammad Saeed.

The martyred official was later laid to rest at a graveyard in Baldia Town. The IGP offered his condolences to the family and assured them that the culprits would be arrested. The police chief also announced compensation and other facilities for the heirs of the martyred ASI.

This was the second killing of a policeman in the city within 48 hours as earlier in the late hours of Saturday, a 29-year-old police constable, Jahangir Khan, son of Saleem Khan, was shot dead by unidentified suspects in the Hijrat Colony area. Jehangir was posted to Civil Lines police station for intelligence and was with another police official, Shahzad, for an intelligence duty before a police combing operation in the area when armed motorcyclists targeted them.