Robbers murder two more citizens, make off with Rs12.6m

There seems to be no let-up in street crime incidents in the city as two more people fell victim to robbers on Monday. With their deaths, at least 57 people have been murdered by robbers this year, with 18 of them killed in Ramazan alone.

The incident took place during an attempt to resist a robbery bid near Fatima Masjid in the Metroville neighbourhood, where unidentified suspects opened fire at a car before they escaped with the looted cash, leaving two people dead.

The casualties were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where they were identified as Zakir, 30, and Sher Alam, 55. Forensic experts were called in to examine the crime scene and collect evidence.

Senior police officers, including South Zone DIG Asad Raza and Keamari SSP Captain (retd) Faizan Ali, also reached the crime scene to inquire about the incident.

The SSP said the culprits had shot the victims, resulting in one person being killed on the spot while the other succumbing to his injuries shortly after. The officer said that both victims were in the car that was shot at.

Police said their initial investigation suggests that the victims had money with them, adding that they both worked for a poultry farm, and that the culprits had intercepted them near their company where they had picked up the cash.

The SSP said that there were two culprits, explaining that one remained on his motorbike while the other got off another motorbike and went straight to the car and opened fire. He said that after shooting the victims, the culprit picked up the bag containing the cash from the back seat of the car, following which both culprits sped away on their motorbikes.

According to the estimate provided by the company, the culprits fled with Rs12.6 million stolen from the car. Police are also looking for CCTV camera footage while conducting geo-fencing of the area to trace the whereabouts of the suspects and arrest them.

The DIG told the media at the crime scene that the incident had occurred at 9am. He said the victims were employees of a poultry farm who were carrying the cash to the bank. He also said the culprits were waiting for the victims, which meant they knew that the two would pass through the area. This was not a usual street crime, as the culprits had targeted the two men based on the information they had, he added.

Police said that five empty shells of a 9mm pistol were picked up from the crime scene. They said that further evidence is being collected by the Crime Scene Unit. The DIG said that given the large amount of cash being taken to the bank, the police should have been given prior information or at least private security guards should have been hired.

He pointed out that such a large sum of money was being transferred in a vulnerable vehicle without any security. He said they would include all the individuals related to the case in the investigation and would reach the culprits with the help of evidence.

The Sindh chief minister took notice of the incident and sought a detailed report from the provincial police chief. The home minister also took notice of the incident and suspended the SHO of the SITE A Section police station, in whose jurisdiction the incident took place.