KARACHl: A police constable was killed by drug peddlers in Shireen Jinnah Colony, officials said on Sunday.
South SSP Mahzoor Ali told Dawn that, acting on a tip-off, a police team went to Hindu Para to arrest a drug dealer on the pretext of purchasing contraband.
He said that they were in plain clothes as part of the strategy. When Constable Wahab Farooq Khattak, 26, located the drug peddler and attempted to catch him, he ran towards a narrow street. Then, his associates resorted to firing, as a result a bullet hit the constable in the shoulder.
Other policemen also rushed to the spot and challenged the suspects; however, they managed to escape, he added.
The SSP said the wounded policeman was taken to a hospital where he was initially stable. However, he died during treatment due to internal bleeding, he added.
South DIG Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the Boat Basin police have registered a case against 10 nominated drug peddlers under murder and terrorism charges.
He said an informer had told the policemen that some drug peddlers were busy selling narcotics in streets near Peoples House in Clifton, Block-1, in large quantities.
After considering such information as credible, the policemen, riding private motorcycles, went into the street late on Saturday night. Constable Wahab approached the suspects when suddenly they resorted to firing, resulting in a bullet injury to him.
Funeral prayer On Sunday, the funeral prayer for the martyred policeman was held at South headquarters, which was attended by Karachi police chief Azad Khan, DIG Naeem Shaikh, other senior officers and the family of the slain constable.