KARACHl: A policeman was shot dead on the Karimabad flyover in a suspected targeted attack on Friday morning.
Central SSP Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqi told Dawn that Constable Muhammad Yusuf, 26, was heading towards the Samanabad police station on his motorcycle after performing his night duty. He was in uniform and armed with his official sub-machine gun (SMG).
When he reached the Karimabad flyover at around 8am, assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on him from behind and fled along with his rifle.
Constable Yusuf suffered critical bullet wounds and was taken to a private hospital where he died during treatment, the SSP said.
Three spent bullet casings fired from a .30-bore pistol were recovered from the crime scene.
He said that it appeared to be an incident of targeted killing.
It is pertinent to mention that this is the second killing of a policeman in the vicinity of the same area. Earlier, CTD`s DSP Ali Raza was gunned down in Karimabad and the responsibility of the killing was reportedly claimed by the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.
`Focus on banned outfits, criminals` DIG-West Irfan Ali Baloch told Dawn that they were focusing on the involvement of banned militant outfits and criminal elements.
However, he said that the DSP was targeted after a proper reconnaissance while the constable`s killing appeared to be random.
The slain constable had joined the police force three years ago. He was the eldest among four siblings and a resident of Allah Bachayo Goth in Manghopir.
His funeral prayer was held at Police Headquarters Garden.
Home Minister Zia Lanjar, Sindh police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon, and others attended it.
Separately, newly-appointed Karachi police chief Javed Odho held a high-level meeting at his office on Friday.
Although it was an introductory meeting, a number of issues came under deliberation.
The sources said that the meeting was informed that four policemen had been martyred in the metropolis in the last over three months and that all the killings remained `untraced` so far.-By Imtiaz Ali
