Karachi: Sectarian killings once again erupted in the city as at least five men were gunned down in the eastern district, three in a shrine where terrorists fired on the devotees inside.
Police said that in Zaman Town of Korangi district, four assailants riding on two motorcycles pulled up outside a shrine known as Badar Dargah, where Shiite devotees have been frequent visitors. The attackers opened indiscriminate gunfire, killing three of the devotees.
Two of the victims were identified as Nazir Hussain and Mazhar, whereas the identification of the third dead man was yet to be confirmed, the police said.
Senior police officer Nazir Mirbahar told Gulf News that the attack seemed to be motivated on sectarian basis and the attackers had used 9mm pistols, the most favourite weapons for such kind of killings.
Within half an hour of the shrine killing, two unknown motorcycle riders attacked an auto mechanic shop near Chawla Bridge in Sadat Colony in Drig Road area. The killers targeted Asif, the mechanic at the shop, whereas another man who was identified as Ashfaq was also killed.
Police said that Asif was the activist of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, an anti-Shiite Sunni group.
In other violent incidents, at least one alleged criminal was killed whereas two others were arrested in injured condition, in police encounters at different parts of the city.
Police said that the first encounter took place in the restive Lyari Town’s Afshani Street, in which Azis who was also know as Saddam and was allegedly a member of a gang, was killed. The police recovered a pistol from his body.
The police had another encounter with criminals in Shershah Town during snap checking. After a brief shoot-out, the police arrested Shahid and Sher Shah, who were injured during the firing. Pistols, a stolen motorcycle and several mobile phones were also recovered from them, the police said.
