Karachi policemen confess to 'killing' youth

KARACHI: In a major development during the probe of the killing of a youth in Karachi, the three cops involved in it admitted to committing the murder in their confessional statement, Geo News reported citing investigation officials on Wednesday.

The officials said while sharing the details that one of the accused cops, Shehryar shot the citizen, Amir Hussain, twice, while they were on motorcycle patrol duty at Rashid Minhas Road. The cops put a government pistol on Amir upon finding him unarmed, to claim that he was carrying weapons, the officials added.

As per the confessional statement, the cops "thought Amir had pulled out a pistol on us" when he gestured to them with his hand.

Shahryar, the cop who fired the shots, and officer Nasir were appointed in 2018. The third cop, Faisal, was recruited in 2012.

Investigation authorities were also unable to find any criminal record of Amir.

A case has been registered against the three police officials at Sharae Faisal police station of Karachi.

ATC approves five-day physical remand

Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism court sent the three cops on a five-day physical remand after they were presented before a judge.

The three cops remanded include Shehryar, Faisal and Nasir.

Meanwhile, Geo News has also obtained the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the incident.

In the video, Amir can be seen falling on a flight of stairs in a severely injured state and the three policemen can be seen with pistols in their hands.

In the video, one of the policemen can be seen checking the pockets of the injured Amir with another pointing his pistol at the citizen.

In the video, the residents of the flat also come outside after hearing gunshots.

The killing

A day earlier, the three cops were arrested after they shot dead the youth for allegedly speeding away when signalled to stop.

Two youths were riding a motorcycle when Shaheen Force officers asked them to stop in the vicinity of Shahrah-e-Faisal Police Station, but they did not adhere to their directions, Karachi East Deputy Inspector-General Muqaddas Haider said.

As a result, the cops chased them and entered a building near the Gulsitan-e-Jauhar's Jauhar Mor area, where they shot dead one of the young men, identified as Amir Hussain, as he was climbing stairs, the high-ranking police official said.

On the directions of the DIG, Senior Superintendent of Police (East) Abdul Raheem Sherazi along with other officials, investigated the shooting and reviewed the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the area.

Upon initial investigation, it came to light that the three cops — Shehreyar, Faisal and Nasir — involved in the incident were at fault, resultantly, they were put behind bars, the police official said.

Sherazi said that initial investigations showed that both the youth were not carrying weapons — as opposed to the claim of the cops — and they had a young girl with them on the bike, who, fortunately, remained safe.