Policeman shot dead by armed ‘expatriate’ in Karachi’s DHA
Pakistan
A policeman was allegedly shot dead by a suspect, who police say is an expatriate, in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) area during a heated exchange late on Monday night, officials said.
CCTV footage of the incident is making the rounds on Twitter, showing the suspect and the cop— both armed — disembarking from a black car and engaging in a heated argument.
As the situation escalated, the suspect fired a couple of shots at the officer from a point-blank range and fled, leaving the policeman dead on the spot.
Police have managed to retrieve the vehicle and the weapon used in the crime, however, the suspect is still at large.
Talking to Dawn.com, South SSP Syed Asad Raza said the two policemen — part of the recently-formed Shaheen Force tasked with tackling street crimes — were patrolling the area near Ideal Bakery in Clifton, Block 5 when they hailed down a car with tinted windows.
SSP Raza said the two policemen, who were riding a motorcycle, were “trying to take the suspect’s vehicle to the police station when the incident took place”.
He said that the cops were trying to stop the vehicle on the suspicion that the suspect was trying to “abduct a girl”.
“The suspect pulled out a pistol on the policemen, starting a heated exchange which resulted in an armed stand-off between the two.
“Towards the end of this stand-off, the suspect refused to go to the police station and fired at one of the policemen, killing him on the spot,” SSP Raza said.
The other cop fired shots at the suspect but he remained unhurt and managed to flee from the scene in his vehicle, the senior officer said. It may be mentioned here that CCTV footage of the incident appears to show only one police officer at the time of the incident.
SSP Raza said the suspect had been identified as a resident of DHA, adding that the vehicle and pistol had also been recovered. He said the killer would be arrested soon while “one of his associates” had already been taken into custody.
He said the suspect was an expatriate Pakistani, adding that he lived in Sweden and had come to Pakistan on November 5.
According to him, the police have informed all airports and highway police about the suspect in an attempt to ensure his arrest at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Karachi police spokesperson said in a statement that funeral prayers of the martyred constable would be offered at Police Headquarters in Garden after Asr prayer.
