LAHORE – The police have begun investigations to probe into the killing of senior advocate Syed Shakir Ali Rizvi, who was gunned down in a drive-by shooting near the Lahore High Court (LHC) on early Friday.
Police sources said on Saturday that the investigators were preparing the sketches of the shooters by collecting information from the eyewitnesses of the killing incident. Earlier, the police collected evidences from the crime scene after the shooting. Sources revealed that the investigators were also scanning the record of the hardened criminals and hired-assassins from the old files to hunt down the attackers.
Syed Shakir Ali Rizvi, 55, was on his way to the court when four unidentified gunmen riding on two motorcycles intercepted his car at the crossing. Rizvi, a known lawyer and leader of a religious sect, was targeted and killed as the assailants pumped four bullets into his body and fled away.
According to DIG (Investigations) Chaudhry Shafique Ahmed, the motives behind the gun assault are not yet clear. The police did not rule out the possibility of targeted killing and are investigating the incident keeping in view all aspects of the happening.
Meanwhile, Punjab Inspector General of Police Habib-ur-Rehman on Saturday submitted initial report on Rizvi’s killing to the LHC registrar. According to the report, Anarkali Police had registered a murder case against unidentified people and also included section 7-ATA in the FIR on complaint of Syed Naeem Abbas Rizvi.
Inspector Muhammad Rafique of Qila Gujjar Singh Police Station has been appointed as inquiry officer of the case, while Civil Line Division SP (investigations) has been asked to supervise the case.
Meanwhile, dacoits on Saturday continued their looting spree, robbed eight houses, looted motorists and passersby; and made off with cash, gold ornaments and other valuables worth millions of rupees from different parts of the City at gunpoint.
Armed bandits barged into the house of one Mumtaz in the Garhi Shahu police precincts and snatched cash, gold ornaments and other valuables worth Rs900,000 after holding the inmates’ hostage at gunpoint.
Four robbers stormed into the house of Khurshid in the Sundar police vicinity and escaped after collecting cash, gold ornaments and other valuables worth Rs800,000 at gunpoint. Gunmen also looted the house of Khalid in the Lohari Gate police area and took away cash, gold ornaments and other valuables worth Rs800,000.
Armed bandits also robbed five houses located in the Lower Mall, Naseerabad, Gowalmandi, Gujjarpura and Faisal Town police areas and escaped after collecting cash, gold ornaments and other valuables worth Rs3 million.
Motorcyclists held up Mahboob Elahi and his family at gunpoint in the Wahdat Colony police limits. The couple of was deprived of cash and gold ornaments worth Rs100,000. Dilawar and his family were also deprived of cash and valuables worth Rs90,000 at gunpoint from the Township police area.
Meanwhile, three cars were driven away from the Defence, Ravi Road and Misri Shah police areas; while four motorcycles were stolen away from the Muslim Town, Samanabad, Mughalpura and Garden Town police precincts.