Real estate agent shot dead by robbers in Maymar

In a tragic incident, a real estate agent and father of two children was killed and another citizen wounded by robbers in the Gulshan-e-Maymar area on Monday.

This gruesome event marks the 50th death in robbery-related killing in Karachi within the first three months of the current year. It came a day after Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar told a press conference that the law and order situation in Karachi was currently much better than what it used to be in the period between 2008 and 2013. However, after Monday’s incident, he issued orders for suspension of the SHO of Gulshan-e-Maymar and sought a report from the District West SSP.

Police said motorcycle-born robbers opened fire at a car, injuring both persons inside the vehicle, near Ajmairi Garden. Soon after the shooting, a crowd of people gathered on the spot and rushed the victims to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where one of them succumbed to his injuries.

The deceased person was later identified as 40-year-old Amjad, son of Talib, while his injured companion as Amanullah, 35, son of Khair Badshah. The deceased was a real estate agent and had two children.

According to Surjani Town Real Estate Association President Nasir, Amjad was going to collect money from a place to deposit it elsewhere. Deeply grieved, Amjad's brother, Mazhar, said, "My brother is no more, and people should be saved from dying."

The deceased hailed from Khanewal, Punjab. He lived in Taiser Town of Surjani Town. His wife had given birth to a baby girl a month ago. According to eyewitnesses, one of the suspects was wearing a mask while riding a motorcycle, and the other was wearing a helmet. The suspects fled after firing, the eyewitnesses said and added that one person in the car was conscious while the other was in a critical condition.

District West SSP Hafeez ur Rahman Bugti also reached the scene of the incident and obtained details from police officers and eyewitnesses. According to the injured citizen, they had withdrawn money from a bank before the robbery incident occurred.

The Crime Scene Unit collected evidence, and CCTV footage was obtained from the surrounding areas. A case has been registered while further investigations are underway.

On Sunday, taking notice of the rising number of street crime incidents, Sindh police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon had ordered strict implementation of the law and had assigned 67 “best” police officers to the task.

He had said that the task of the most important cases had been assigned to 67 “best” officers of the city, who would arrest the suspects involved in killing people during muggings.

Call for apology

Karachi Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has strongly lambasted Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar over his attempt to normalise the rapidly rising lawlessness in Karachi, and reiterated his demand to localise the police in Karachi, adds our correspondent.

Addressing a press conference at the JI Karachi headquarters Idara-e-Noor Haq on Monday, he said that10 innocent Karachiites had lost their lives and become victims of violent street crime in the holy month of Ramazan alone, whereas the death toll during the first three months of the year stood at 49.

Against this backdrop, he said, the home minister says that the crime rate in Karachi is exaggerated. He urged the minister to withdraw his statement and seek an apology from Karachiites.

Demanding police reforms, Rehman stressed the need to adopt a community-oriented policing model in order to address the burning issues of crimes in Karachi. He further said that purging the police department of black sheep and inclusion of local residents in the police were mandatory to change the situation on the ground.

He accused the Pakistan People Party government responsible for harbouring criminals in Katcha areas as well as in urban areas of the province. Practically, the province has been handed over to criminals to an extent that the interprovincial highways are closed in the evening, he said.

Talking about the political scenario, the JI leader vowed to launch a full-scale campaign after Eidul Fitar against “the Form 47 government”.