KARACHI: Suspects involved in the killing of Shahzeb Khan broke through a police containment and escaped from Dadu, Express News reported on Saturday.
On a tipoff on their whereabouts, a police team from Karachi raided a
house in Dadu but the suspects managed to flee despite being
surrounded.
Police officials claimed that the suspects had been on alert after the media broke the news.
DSP Aurangzeb Khan, the deceased’s father, alleged that influential
people were asserting pressure for stopping their arrest, while the
police was working for their arrest with responsibility.
20-year-old Shahzeb was killed
over a small argument earlier. The prime suspects in the case, Nawab
Siraj Talpur and Shahrukh Jatoi, have been on the run ever since.
Murdered in cold blood: For Sindh's feudals, Karachi lives come cheap - The Express Tribune
Murdered in cold blood: For Sindh's feudals, Karachi lives come cheap - The Express Tribune
KARACHI:
Shahzeb Khan didn’t even get time to change the clothes he
wore to his sister’s valima. He was in his dark grey dress shirt and
trousers when four 9mm bullets pierced through his car – a gleaming blue
Swift which was an early birthday gift from his parents, and entered
his body, eventually killing this popular 20 year old.
The car which had somersaulted after the shooting near Mubarak Masjid
in Karachi’s upmarket Defence area on Tuesday morning, now stands
silent opposite the Darakhshan Police Station, a sad reminder of what
the spoilt young sons of feudal landlords can do if they or their
friends are challenged.
Ironically, Shahzeb Khan, the only son of his parents, was shot dead
because of a small argument. He and his sister had just returned to
their home in the Country Club Apartments from the wedding when a
servant living in the building teased his sister. Shahzeb raised his
voice against the harassment. But this did not sink in well with the
harasser’s master, one Nawab Siraj Talpur. A fight broke out soon after,
but Shahzeb’s father, DSP Aurangzeb, jumped in and quickly resolved the
dispute, and the two men left on a good note.
Everything seemed normal. Soon after, Shahzeb decided to have tea
with his friends. But the feud wasn’t over in Talpur’s mind till then.
As an oblivious Shahzeb drove in his car near Mubarak Masjid, Talpur and
his friend Shahrukh Jatoi followed him, along with Jatoi’s armed
guards. Police say that in an act of cold-bloodedness, they then
allegedly fired four bullets into Shahzeb’s car, leaving him severely
injured, and eventually dead.
Soon enough after the incident, the two criminals and their families
conveniently escaped to Sukkur. Despite the fact that Shahzeb’s father
himself is a police officer, there is little the police have done so far
to catch the murderers.
The devastated father of the young victim, Aurangzeb, clad in
mourning black clothes, said taking lives in the city had become so easy
for people who have strong political backgrounds and power. “I had
settled the dispute. Then why was my son killed like this. This is the
brutal reign of the feudals. They don’t spare anyone.”
FIR 519 under murder case 302 has been registered at the Darakhshan
Police Station against the two accused and their guards. Initially, the
family had a hard time registering the case owing to political pressure
coming from other end. However, Investigation officer Murtaza told The Express Tribune
that a joint team under SI Chaudhry Nafees had been formed to look into
the case. Some say this is a mere formality and nothing will come of
this.
“We have requested the FIA to put the names of the accused on the
ECL.” The officer said that such open use of arms across the city had
become common. “For students and young adults, carrying guns has become a
trend. Fights break out and the first thing children do is take out
guns on one another. Parliamentarians and influentials travel in the
city with their guards pointing guns at others and no one can do
anything. Their children do the same.”
The tragic death of this media sciences student at Greenwich
University sent shockwaves. Loved ones who remember Shahzeb for his
cute smile, created a page “In Memory of Shahzeb Khan”
to seek justice for the act. In just thirteen hours since the page was
created, 2,500 people had joined, with dozens leaving messages of ‘I’ll
miss your smile, RIP and you were a real soldier, you stood up for the
wronged.”
Close university friend Saad Jan, who had just arrived from visiting
his friend’s grave said that Shahzeb was the person who would always
stand up for others. Another friend, Fahad Wakeel said that he was
always remembered for his good nature.
Shahzeb’s uncle, Jahanzaib said: “For him everything ended with a
smile. Even when he was leaving from the valima, and I saw him for the
last time, he smiled and joked with my daughters and went away, leaving
us forever.”
The police suspect that the boys aged 20 or 23, are on their way to
Sukkur. So far two people, alleged to be Jatoi’s guards, have been
arrested. But even the police are now taking sides. SSP Investigation
Faizullah Karejo said that the boys knew each other and were in a fight
from before. “The parents had to intervene and everything was settled,”
he said. “However, the boys started to fight again and Jatoi shot
Shahzeb four times as he sat in his car to go to a friend’s house.” He
added that Jatoi was in the city for winter break and is studying in
Malaysia.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 27th, 2012.
