Two sweet shop employees killed, another wounded in Malir

In an apparent incident of target killing, two employees of a sweet shop were killed and another wounded in Malir on Thursday.

Police said the incident took place in the Saudabad area in the wee hours of Thursday when the victims were on their way home after closing the shop. Police have registered a case against unidentified persons on the complaint of the injured employee, Iftikhar, who in his statement to the police said the shop owners had provided them a temporary residence in the Model Colony area and at around 12 midnight, they were walking towards their home after closing the shop when two assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on them near the Model Colony railway crossing.

As a result of the firing, all three of them were injured and fell on the road while the assailants fled the scene. The complainant stated that after the shooting, they were transported to a hospital where his colleagues Shoaib and Saifur Rehman succumbed to their injuries.

Meanwhile, police have obtained relevant CCTV footage and crucial evidence related to the incident. In one video, all three employees of the sweet shop could be seen finishing their duty and leaving for home around midnight.

The police investigatorsalso recovered nine empty shells of 9mm pistols from the crime scene which were sent for forensic analysis. In a CCTV video, the assailants on a motorcycle could be seen firing and fleeing the scene. The culprits fled towards the Model Colony railway crossing from the crime scene.

One of the assailants wore a helmet whereas the other had a cap. The police investigators are also conducting geo-fencing of the area to trace the suspects.

According to the initial investigation report prepared by the police, the murders could be target killings on a sectarian basis. One of the deceased, Shoaib, hailed from Shikarpur and the other deceased, Saif, had come from Khanpur, Punjab.

After the completion of legal procedures, the bodies were to their respective hometowns for burial. Further investigations are under way. Separately, a man was killed in a firing incident that took place in the Sultanabad area of Manghopir.

Following the incident, police and rescuers reached the area and transported the casualty to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where the deceased person was identified as 55-year-old Hawaldar Khan, a labourer who hailed from Kurram Agency.

Police said the incident occurred during the early morning hours when Khan had left home for Fajr prayers. He was targeted by assailants on a hilly area, police said, adding that the incident appeared to be a result of personal enmity. Six empty shells of a .30bore pistol were found at the crime scene. Police said evidence had been collected from the crime scene and investigations were under way.