Karachi police chief Addl IG Javed Alam Odho on Monday said that nine police officials have been martyred in the city this year, and the suspects in four of the cases have been arrested.
Odho made the announcement during a press conference at the Karachi Police Office. He was flanked by senior police officers, including East Zone police chief DIG Ghulam Azfar Mahesar and West Zone police chief DIG Irfan Baloch.
The city police chief said the suspects in the September 21 double murder case, in which a traffic police constable was shot dead in the SITE B area, have been arrested. “The Keamari police traced the suspects within 47 hours and arrested two suspects, Hussain and Ikhlaq, recovering two 9mm pistols and a motorbike. The suspects are habitual criminals, and have been arrested and jailed previously.”
Traffic police constable Khudadad Bakhsh and a passerby named Ghausullah had been killed in the SITE area by two men on a motorbike who fired at the constable after he resisted their bid to snatch his pistol.
Odho said police are being targeted in the city, and efforts are under way to resolve the cases. He noted that there have been four attacks on police over the past six months, and nine police officials have been martyred this year.
Six of the police killings were committed during robberies, while three involvedfiring by terrorists, he elaborated. He said efforts are also afoot to recover stolen vehicles. He also claimed the arrest of the suspects in the September 19 shooting incident, in which traffic police ASI Abdul Jabbar was martyred in New Karachi Industrial Area.
He also announced the arrest of Ashiq Hussain, who was allegedly involved in martyring PC Chumman Shah and injuring PC Adil in SITE Super Highway Industrial Area on September 4.
Odho also announced the arrest of Zafar Ali, who was allegedly involved in killing martyring PC Akram in Quaidabad on August 2. Two others had been injured in the incident. One of the injured, a child, later died. He also claimed the arrest of three suspects involved in the July 24 shooting incident, in which policeman Naseer had been wounded after his official weapon was snatched.