Second ‘shooter’ who gunned down firefighters in Karachi nabbed in Rangers-police op

One of the alleged shooters believed to be responsible for the murders of two firefighters in Karachi’s Korangi area earlier this month has been arrested, a Sindh Rangers press release said.

On October 2, the Awami Colony police said two unidentified assailants entered the fire station at Korangi’s Bilal Chowrani at around 2am and opened indiscriminate fire, killing Amir, 55, and Mehboob, 35, and wounding Irshad Rehmatullah, 30.

Rehmatullah succumbed to his injuries later, the Rangers statement said.

The suspect, identified as Siddique Baba, was held during a joint Rangers-police intelligence-based operation, the statement, which was issued on Wednesday said. An accomplice, identified as Sheikh Bilal Zafar Farooqi, is already in custody.

It further said that various firearms used in crimes have been obtained from the suspect, who had also been allegedly involved in targeted killings.

The suspect has been handed over to the police along with his weapons for legal action. Raids to arrest other accomplices are under way, according to the Rangers.

Shooting

After the shooting occurred DIG-East Muquddus Haider had told Dawn that the two assailants, who were riding a motorbike, arrived there, woke up the watchman and another fire employee and forced them inside the control room, where two other employees were asleep.

He said that the assailants also woke them up and started firing at the four persons. Three of them suffered bullet wounds while their fourth fellow escaped unhurt.

The DIG said that the assailants wore helmets throughout and rode away after their swift action.

The wounded were shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) where doctors pronounced two of them dead on arrival.

The DIG said that investigators were probing the incident from every possible angle.

Korangi SSP Faisal Bashir Memon said that the killers brought two other firemen, who were asleep in their quarters behind the fire office, to the control room and asked the four firemen to form a line and recite the kalma before opening fire from behind.

Karachi Adminis­trator Barrister Murtaza Wahab, who is also the provincial government’s spokesperson, had declared the incident an act of terrorism.