SHO found to be in contact with shooter who injured prayer leader

Officers probing the firing incident on Saturday in which a prayer leader was shot and injured in Jamshed Quarters have included a police officer in the investigations after it was found that he was in contact with the arrested suspect.

Investigators said they had obtained the CDR of the mobile phone seized from the arrested suspect’s possession which revealed that the suspect was in contact with Karachi Port Trust SHO Zafar Iqbal as two phone calls were made on Saturday night between the suspect, named Mudassir, and the SHO.

The investigation team is trying to verify links between the suspect and the cop. It has also been reported that the suspect is a habitual criminal and was imprisoned for three years in the past and has been associated with the Lyari gang war.

It has also been reported that one of the suspect’s relatives had a monetary dispute with the prayer leader. According to investigators, it could be possible that the firing incident on Saturday might be occurred over the monetary dispute.

Mudassir has also reportedly disclosed the names of his companions during the interrogation and police are trying to arrest them. Investigators said the suspect could be SHO Iqbal’s informant but this had not been concluded yet. They added that Mudassir was also trying to dodge police by changing his statements frequently.

In the meantime, police investigators have also obtained a forensic report of the weapon used in the incident which said that the weapon had not been used in any crime in the past. Mudassir was arrested on Saturday when he was caught by people in the area after he and his accomplice Farhan had shot the 46-year-old prayer leader, Mufti Yamin Abdullah. The accomplice managed to flee the scene.

A video that circulated on social media showed people beating up the suspect after they had caught him. Meanwhile, two separate cases have been registered at the Jamshed Quarters police station over the incident. The cases were registered on behalf of the state. Police have placed sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act in the FIRs.

Mudassir and Farhan were nominated in the both the cases. It has been stated in the FIR that in the initial statement, the arrested suspect had revealed that Farhan was accompanying him at the time of the incident. A 9mm pistol, six bullets and a motorcycle were seized by police when they arrested Mudassir.

A day earlier, the suspect was handed over to the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) for investigations. It had initially been claimed that the firing incident took place over offering resistance during a mugging bid but police sources on Sunday said the CCTV footage of the incident did not corroborate it.