Suspect in Korangi fire station employees' killing arrested

One of the suspected assailants in the fire station employees' killing in Karachi's Korangi area was arrested in a joint operation carried out by the police and Rangers, a spokesperson of the paramilitary force said Wednesday morning.

Two officials of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's (KMC) fire department were shot dead and another was injured by unidentified men at a fire unit in the Korangi area of the city on October 2.

The Rangers spokesperson said that suspect Sheikh Bilal Zafar Farooqi, who was involved in terrorist activities, was arrested in the joint operation in the Manzoor Colony area. Arms and ammunition were also seized from the suspect.

Sharing further details about the suspect, the spokesperson said that Farooqi has been sent to jail multiple times. He said that raids were being conducted to arrest his accomplices.

The Rangers official shared that the suspect has been handed over to the police for further legal action.

Police suspect personal enmity behind killing

Investigation SP Abraiz Ali Abbasi said that Farooqi is an ex-police constable who had been terminated from service, and he has been behind the bars for allegedly killing KMC's deputy director.

The official further stated that Farooqi's father Zafar Farooqi was a fire department employee and he was murdered too.

"Initial investigations show personal enmity is behind the killing of the fire brigade employees," SP Abbasi said, adding that the police are probing the matter through different aspects.

Two killed by armed men at Korangi fire station

Police said unidentified suspects opened fire on a fire brigade office located near Bilal Chowrangi in Korangi within the limits of the Awami Colony police station, killing two persons on the spot and injuring another.

The deceased fire brigade officials were identified as 55-year-old Amir and Mehboob, 40, whereas, the injured official was identified as 30-year-old Irshad.

Police said the suspects entered the fire brigade office after climbing the walls and held the security guard hostage at gunpoint. They took him inside the office and asked about other employees, after which one of the suspects brought the victims together and they were shot.

Another official, Zeeshan, was also present at the office when the shooting took place. He informed the police that he was an eyewitness to the incident.

“Two armed men entered the fire department and asked me to stand with a telephone operator at a control room and also asked about other employees.”

He said that the other employees were sleeping and one of the suspects brought two victims into the control room and put a pistol on the forehead of one of them, asking him to recite Kalma before shooting him. The witness said that the suspect triggered his pistol but the bullet was stuck, due to which he again fired, killing Mehboob on the spot. Following this, Amir and Irshad offered resistance, during which Zeeshan managed to escape from the room.

Later, the injured employee also managed to reach a fuel station next to the office and informed its employees about the incident who called the police through the helpline 15.