Cop killed, SHO injured in Clifton shootout

KARACHI: A police head constable was martyred and the station house officer (SHO) of Clifton Police Station suffered injuries when they were fired upon as they confronted muggers in the upscale neighbourhood of the city late on Saturday night.

Head Constable Hidayatullah Niazi was shot dead while SHO Chaudhry Shahid got injured in Clifton police remit.

The incident, which occurred late on Saturday night on Street 26 in Clifton, came as a grim reminder of the menace of rising street crime in Karachi. The city witnesses several muggings every day, but the police force appears to have failed to address the situation effectively.

Rizwan Tariq, sub divisional police officer (SDPO) of Clifton, said that SHO Chaudhry Shahid was in his private vehicle with driver Head Constable Hidayatullah Niazi and his staffers were in a mobile van on Street 26, Tauheed Commercial, when he saw two suspicious men on a motorcycle and signalled them to stop. On seeing the police, however, the men opened fire and tried to speed away. SHO Shahid and Head Constable Niazi gave a chase and also conveyed a message to the police mobile on patrol.

The police officials intercepted the robbers in an inner lane near Ideal Bakery, where Niazi hit their motorcycle, knocking them off the two-wheeler. While the cops were attempting to catch the robbers, the latter opened fire, injuring the law enforcers. The suspects then escaped from the scene.

The police officials were rushed to a private hospital, where Niazi succumbed to his injuries. He had suffered four bullet wounds to his upper torso. SHO Shahid, who was hit by two bullets, is stated be in a stable condition.

SDPO Tariq said that they had found six spent bullet shells of a 9mm pistol and a 30-bore pistol at the scene, and sent to the forensic division of the Sindh police for examination.

Moreover, he said, they were also checking to ascertain if CCTV cameras were installed at any nearby location.

The spokesman for the Sindh police said funeral prayers for the martyred head constable were offered at the Garden Headquarters. Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal, provincial Inspector General of Police AD Khowaja, the additional inspector general of police of Karachi and other police officers attended.

However, a case has been lodged and investigations are under way.

Last month, an alleged robber was killed and a police officer injured in an exchange of fire between law enforcers and two assailants on a motorbike in the Dalmia area.

The shootout occurred when two suspicious men on a motorcycle were signalled by police to stop, but the suspects opened fire at the cops and attempted to flee. A police officer, Rana Arshad, was injured in the firing and taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

When the police returned fire, one of the attackers, Salman, was injured and succumbed to his wounds on the way to hospital.