KARACHI - At least eight people were killed in different areas of Karachi on Monday.
Two passersby and an extortionist were killed and a shopkeeper was wounded in an exchange of fire between the shopkeepers and extortionists in meat market near National Highway.
The bodies and the injured were shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. Law enforcers also reached the site and collected the evidences including 20 empty shells of the pistols and a motorcycle of the culprits.
The victims’ passersby were identified as Haji Noor Muhammad, 30, Abdul Kareem, 55, and an extortionist as Arshad Ayub, 25. The injured shopkeeper was identified as Naeem Khan, 35. Police officials said half dozen armed men on motorcycles reached the market to collect extortion but the shopkeepers offered resistance and also opened fire on them. “During an exchange of fire, two shopkeepers and one extortionist were killed and another shopkeeper was wounded,” said DSP Rao Iqbal. “The suspects, belonged to the gang war, came to collect extortion in the name of cultural day.”
The victim Haji Noor was a cloth trader and the resident of Malir’s Aansu Goth area. The victim Abdul Kareem was a donkey cart owner. Two more suspects were also reportedly arrested during treatment at a private hospital in Malir, however, DSP Iqbal neither confirmed nor denied their arrests.
A renowned trader Abdul Samad Tabani, 40, was shot dead near Electronics Market in Saddar. Two armed men riding a motorcycle shot him dead when he reached the Tabani Market from his home. The armed men shot him five times and escaped. Following his killing, score of shopkeepers of the Tabani market, electronic market shut their shops down and staged protest against the incident. They also burnt tyres on the road and suspended the flow of traffic. The protesters also shouted slogans against the police.
“The culprits easily managed to kill him despite the presence of a police van. They killed him in front of the police but police did not take any action and remained stood at their designated place,” said the protesters. “The police have only been deployed here not for our protection but to collect forced money from the people in the name of snap checking.” They said the police did not take any step despite informing them several times about the extortion threats. SHO Yar Rind said the police were not informed about any extortion threats by the victim.
Two people were killed when two armed men riding a motorcycle opened indiscriminate fire at a Pakwan Shop in Orangi Town. The victims were identified as Ashraf, 20 and Javed Khan, 22. Police officials said no political affiliation of the victims was confirmed. The motive behind the incident has yet to be ascertained.
An alleged gangster Raheel Khaskheli, 33, was shot dead in Kalri area of Lyari. SHO Raja Tanvir said the victim was associated with the Baba Ladla group of Lyari. He was also the informer of the CID police. He was killed by the two armed motorcyclists who believed to be the members of the Ladla’s rival gang.
Separately, Khurram Shahid, 32, was killed when armed men opened fire when he was sitting outside a printing press in Nazimabad area. Police officials were not aware of the motive and the victim’s affiliation with any party.
Two people were wounded when unidentified armed culprits lobbed a cracker bomb inside a godown near Ghani Chowrangi in Site area. The injured Jan Muhammad, 40, and Fahim, 50, were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.
Police officials said the extortionists attacked the godown over refusal to pay extortion.