KARACHI: Around half a dozen armed young men thrashed an off-duty policeman at a roadside restaurant in the posh Defence Housing Authority (DHA) neighbourhood of Karachi and opened fire before fleeing, triggering fear and panic among the people.
Darakhshan police registered a case against the men on the complaint of Hamza Nasir Gujjar, the police who was assaulted, under Sections 324 (attempted murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Speaking to the press, Karachi (South) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Asad Raza said some young men travelling in two cars beat the constable and attempted to kill him over the “seating arrangement” at a restaurant on Muslim Commercial near Clock Tower in Phase VI of the neighbourhood.
Raza added that one of the cars had been identified.
Darakhshan Superintendent of Police (SP) Rana Mohammed Dilawar said the victim had gone to the restaurant after his duty ended to have tea as it was his friend’s birthday, adding the incident took place at around three in the morning.
According to the contents of the police report, the complainant said he was sitting at the eatery in civilian clothes alongside three female friends.
Gujjar said that at one point, an unidentified person sat beside them and asked who the women were. The situation escalated and the suspect used abusive language and signalled to five of his friends sitting in two parked cars nearby on which they started beating the cop.
The suspects also allegedly tried to snatch the policeman’s service pistol but he managed to flee and took cover in a nearby parking lot. The suspect fired around seven to eight rounds, which Gujjar responded to before the former fled, the FIR said.
SP Dilawar said the complainant had told police that the suspects had also allegedly slapped one of the girls.
Police reached the scene and collected five spent bullet casings and two live bullets.
