Two fire brigade officials shot dead in late-night attack on Korangi office

Two officials of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation fire brigade were killed and another wounded in the early hours of Saturday after unidentified persons opened fire on a fire brigade office in the Korangi area of the city.

Police said unidentified suspects opened fire on a fire brigade office located near Bilal Chowrangi in Korangi within the limits of the Awami Colony police station, killing two persons on the spot and injuring another.

The deceased fire brigade officials were identified as 55-year-old Amir and Mehboob, 40, whereas, the injured official was identified as 30-year-old Irshad.

Following the incident, police and rescue workers reached the scene and transported the casualties to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

Police said the incident took place on the night between Friday and Saturday. The suspects entered the fire brigade office after climbing the walls and held the security guard hostage at gunpoint. They took him inside the office and asked about other employees, after which one of the suspects brought the victims together and they were shot.

Another official, Zeeshan, was also present at the office when the shooting took place. He informed the police that he was an eyewitness of the incident. “Two armed men entered the fire department and asked me to stand with a telephone operator at a control room and also asked about other employees.”

He said that the other employees were sleeping and one of the suspects brought two victims in the control room and put a pistol on the forehead of one of them, asking him to recite Kalma before shooting him. The witness said that the suspect triggered his pistol but the bullet was stuck, due to which he again fired, killing Mehboob on the spot. Following this, Amir and Irshad offered resistance, during which Zeeshan managed to escape from the room.

Later, the injured employee also managed to reach a fuel station next to the office and informed its employees about the incident who called police through the helpline 15.

Fire officer Zafar Khan told the media that both the deceased employees were senior fire brigade officials and resided in the same area. He added that CCTV cameras were also installed at a mosque in the premises of the fire department but they were not functioning.

District Korangi SSP Faisal Bashir Memon also visited the office to inquire into the incident. He said the police were investigating the case from different angles, including those of terrorism and target killing. Police have registered an FIR No 672/22 on the complaint of Zeeshan.