KARACHI -  Targeted attacks on security personnel in the city have again surged as another policeman was stalked and shot dead in second consecutive targeted attack in just three days.

A 30-year-old Munnawar Jamal, son of Shahnawaz, was on his way to duty at New Karachi Police Station from his home located at Kauser Niazi Colony in North Nazimabad where armed motorcyclists shot him dead.

He was shot multiple times and had died before he could be shifted to the hospital. The security officials obtained footages from close circuit cameras installed near the crime scene which showed that two armed men, mounted on a motorcycle, opened indiscriminate fire at the cop and later managed to escape. But unfortunately, the footages were not clear that could help the investigators in identifying faces of the assailants or the motorcycle they were mounted on.

The police have also recovered empty shells of the pistol used in the killing and sent these to forensic division of the Sindh Police. DSP Naeem Khan said that the deceased cop was shot at least five times from behind, killing him on the spot. “He was just wearing his shoes and uniform’s pant, but not wearing uniform’s shirt,” the DSP said, and added, “It seems that the assailants had started following Jamal from his residence in Kauser Niazi Colony.”

 The case has been registered at the CTD against unidentified persons on behalf of the state, while further investigations are underway.

The deceased had been posted at New Karachi police station about three months ago after having been transferred from police’s Crime Branch. He has left behind a widow and a minor son. This is the second consecutive incident of target killing of a policeman to have occurred in three days as earlier a police’s assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Shahzad Akhtar had been shot dead in Korangi on Thursday night.

However, the investigators believe that recent killings of cops are not linked to each other.

Meanwhile, funeral prayers of the victim were offered at the office of the deputy inspector general of zone west, which was attended besides others by a large number of senior police officials, including IGP Sindh Allah Dino Khawaja and Additional IG Karachi Mushtaq Maher.

Taking notice of the incident, the IGP Sindh has asked the concerned police officials to arrest the culprits as soon as possible.

No clue to whereabouts of missing schoolgirls

The investigators have still not been unable to trace the three missing school girls despite a passage of more than a day.

The three girls: I*, B* and R*, aged between 14 years to 15 years, students of class 9th at a private school in Saudabad of District Malir, had gone missing on Friday.

The incident came to light when their parents reached the Saudabad police station on Friday night, and staged a protest demonstration over their disappearance. All the three girls are the residents of the same area and are each other neighbours.

Their parents said that their daughters went to the school on Friday morning as per routine, but did not return, adding that they had informed the police after they failed to find them. Police had initiated investigations after registering the case against unidentified persons.

The investigators have also recorded statements of the school administration. Quoting the school administration, Saudabad SHO Muhammad Ali said on Saturday that the girls had not attended the classes on Friday, adding they had also detained three suspected teenagers who are neighbours of the missing girls.

“However, the initial investigation suggests that they are not involved in the disappearance of the girls,” he clarified.

The officer added the initial probe had also pointed out that the girls had left their homes of their free will.

“However, nothing could be said until the investigations are completed,” he asserted.