Family of the suspect killed by a citizen over alleged mugging bid protests

By Muhammad YaseenPublished On 05 Jan 2023

The killing of a suspected robber who was shot dead by a citizen in Clifton a couple of days ago led to a protest on Friday when friends and family members of the suspect staged a demonstration and demanded an inquiry.

On Tuesday night, a car rider shot the suspect dead in the Boat Basin area of the upscale Clifton neighborhood, claiming that the man was a robber and attempting to mug him. Initially, the police said that the citizen, Haseeb, shot and killed a suspected robber with his licensed pistol. The police later lodged a case and initiated an investigation. The deceased has been identified as Sanaullah, son of Matinullah, a resident of the Keamari area, who was said to be a fruit vendor.

However, the case took another turn after scores of family members and friends gathered at Do-Talwar, Clifton, after the Friday prayers and staged a sit-in against the incident. The protesters were later joined by Pakistan Peoples Party leader Qadir Patel and local leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Pakhtun Tahafuz Movement.

The protesters claimed that Sanaullah was not a criminal but he was an innocent citizen and had no criminal background. “Sanaullah should be declared an innocent citizen instead of a robber,” the protesters claimed. “No weapon was even found from his possession.”

The family also claimed that Sanaullah was at his home when he received a phone call by someone, who called him to the Clifton area and then they heard news about his killing. The family appealed to the higher authorities to conduct a fair and transparent inquiry into the incident and register a case against Haseeb and the policemen who became part of the Haseeb’s alleged conspiracy to declare Sanaullah a robber.

The protest caused a massive traffic jam in the surroundings of the Do-Talwar area and Khayaban-e-Iqbal’s both tracks were closed for traffic. Traffic police provided diversions for the commuters. A large number of law enforcers also reached the scene and dispersed the protesters, while assuring them of their full cooperation. Police officials said that they had detained Haseeb.

DIG South Sharjil Kharal has taken notice of the protest over the killing of Sanaullah and formed an inquiry team. The committee members are SSP South Investigations Rai Ejaz, District South SSP Sheraz Nazeer, the ASP Clifton, and the DSP Investigation Clifton.