One of the suspects behind an armed attack on a fire station and the killing of two employees, in Karachi Korangi area, has been arrested in a joint operation conducted by the police and Sindh Rangers, said a spokesperson of the paramilitary force on Wednesday. The spokesperson said that suspect Sheikh Bilal Zafar Farooqi, who was involved in terrorist activities, was arrested in the joint operation carried out in the Manzoor Colony area of the city. Arms and ammunition were also recovered from the suspect, he said. The spokesperson shared that the suspect has been sent to jail multiple times, adding that raids were being conducted to arrest his accomplices. The Rangers official shared that the suspect has been handed over to the police for further legal action.

Earlier this month, two officials of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation fire department were killed and another was wounded after unidentified persons opened fire on a fire station in the Korangi area of the city. Police said unidentified suspects opened fire on a fire brigade office located near Bilal Chowrangi in Korangi within the limits of the Awami Colony police station, killing two persons on the spot and injuring another. The deceased fire brigade officials were identified as 55-year-old Amir and Mehboob, 40, whereas, the injured official was identified as 30-year-old Irshad. The police said the suspects entered the fire brigade office after climbing the walls and held the security guard hostage at gunpoint. They took him inside the office and asked about other employees, after which one of the suspects brought the victims together and they were shot.

Another official, Zeeshan, was also present at the office when the incident took place. He informed the police that he was an eyewitness to the incident. “Two armed men entered the fire department and asked me to stand with a telephone operator at a control room and also asked about other employees.” He said that the other employees were sleeping and one of the suspects brought two victims into the control room and put a pistol on the forehead of one of them, asking him to recite Kalma before shooting him. The witness said that the suspect triggered his pistol but the bullet was stuck, due to which he again fired, killing Mehboob on the spot. Following this, Amir and Irshad offered resistance, during which Zeeshan managed to escape from the room. Later, the injured employee also managed to reach a fuel station next to the office and informed its employees about the incident who called the police through the helpline 15.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP