KARACHI: In a tragic incident, a policeman was shot dead by a car driver, reportedly the son of a former deputy commissioner, following an altercation between the two in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase V late Monday night.
The martyred cop, Abdul Rehman, and his colleague chased the suspected shooter, identified as Khurram Nisar and spoke to him after they allegedly noticed suspicious activity, reports said.
A couple of video footages showed altercation between Rehman and Nisar.
A footage of the shooting was recorded via CCTV camera in which Rehman and Nisar step out from the passenger seat and driver’s seat, respectively, of a black vehicle with tinted windows.
In the same video, the cop can be seen holding a pistol and gesturing Nisar to sit in the car and go to the police station.
According to the police, Nisar, came to Karachi from Sweden on November 5. He lives there with his wife and two children.
DIG South Irfan Baloch said while talking to media that the cop accompanying Rehman recorded his statement, according to which they saw Nisar forcing a woman to sit in the car near Boat Basin.
Baloch said that when the cops approached Nisar, the woman fled, while they tried to control him, but couldn’t get hold of his gun as he resisted.
This was when Rehman sat in the car with Nisar, while the other cop chased it.
The DIG said that the cops tried to take Nisar to Darakhshan Police Station, but he increased the speed of his car. At this, Rehman tried to stop Nisar and both of them got out of the car. The two engaged in an argument and pulled their guns on each other, he added.
According to Baloch, Nisar’s home in Karachi is near the crime scene in DHA Phase 5, where he left the car used in the incident at home and fled in another car.
The police raided Nisar’s house and seized weapons, documents and the vehicle used during the shooting. The house watchman was also detained.
The police say that a copy of Nisar’s passport has also been seized and a search is underway to find the vehicle he escaped in. The houses of his friends are also being searched, while pictures of Nisar and details of his travel documents have been provided across airports. Meanwhile, the statement of the cop accompanying Rehman is also being investigated.
Earlier in conversation with reporters, SSP South Asad Raza shared the identity of the accused. He had shared that his accomplice was taken into custody, while the weapon and car used in the incident had been recovered.
SSP Raza said that the suspect opened fire at the cop, fatally injuring him when the policemen tried to take the former to the police station.
He said that the suspect tried to stop a car and he aimed to kidnap a woman. According to the initial statement by the police, a woman was inside the suspect’s car. But the woman reportedly sitting inside the suspect’s car is yet to be tracked down.
The SSP said that the suspect fired two to three gunshots from inside his car and drove away.
He further said that Nisar travelled to Karachi from Sweden on November 5. The airport and highways authorities have been informed about the matter in order to prevent any attempt by the suspect to flee, he added.
The SSP requested the people to inform the police if they have any information about the suspect.
Moreover, he said that Rehman also opened fire at the suspect in retaliation.
The post-mortem report revealed that Rehman sustained a single shot in the head that caused his death. Police say the bullet was shot from close range with a 9mm pistol.
Video of conversation between Rehman, suspect
Another video that was the first to surface, reportedly filmed by the cop accompanying Rehman, showed Nisar standing outside the driver’s seat door while Rehman — who couldn’t be seen in the video — questioned Nisar while filming the suspect with his phone.
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