‘Weapon that killed traffic cop was used in 2018 robbery’

Police on Tuesday claimed to have made some headway in the investigation of the attack on a traffic policeman in the Soldier Bazaar neighbourhood a day earlier.

Constable Ehtasham Irfan, 22, was on his way to work at the Mazar-e-Quaid traffic kiosk when a helmeted man fired on him on Nishtar Road. He was taken to the Civil Hospital Karachi, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Though the motive of the murder is yet to be ascertained, the investigators said the ballistic test report of the two spent bullet shells of a 30-bore pistol found on the crime scene has come in.

The weapon that was used to attack the cop was also used in a robbery bid in Korangi last year, stated the forensic report. In the July 7, 2018 case unidentified men had opened fire on a hardware shop in Korangi No. 1½ and injured three people, two of them brothers.

Soldier Bazaar SHO Abdullah Bhutto said the police are also looking into the Korangi robbery case that would help the investigators solve the traffic policeman’s murder case.

The SHO said the police have registered FIR No. 32/19 against unidentified persons on behalf of the state under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code. “Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act may be added if needed during the course of the investigation.”

There have been reports that the police have detained four suspects in connection with the martyrdom of the traffic policeman, but SHO Bhutto denied all such reports. “So far no arrest has been made in the murder case.”

The officer said that the motive behind the murder is yet to be ascertained, adding that the investigations are still in the preliminary stages and nothing can be said with certainty until the probe is completed.