A man was shot dead and his four friends were injured on Sunday in an attack by masked assailants in Toba Tek Singh.
The injured were taken to district headquarters hospital, where they were reported to be out of danger.
Saddar police said that Abdur Rasheed, Muhammad Nadeem, Muhammad Rizwan, Muhammad Waris Ali and Muhammad Aslam were sitting outside Rasheed’s house in Chak 520-GB when two motorcyclists stopped them and opened fire at them.
Rasheed died on the spot. The rest were taken to DHQ hospital, where doctors treating them said that they would likely survive.
Police said the assailants had fled before a police team arrived at the scene.
Muhammad Shafiq, a brother of the deceased, told the Express Tribune that they did not have a rivalry with anybody.
He said Rasheed had called some of his friends. They were sitting outside the house when two men, covering their faces, stopped nearby and shot at them. He said witnesses had told him that the assailants used a Kalashnikov rifle. He said the firing caused panic in the neighbourhood and alarmed neighbours came out of their houses. He said this helped the assailants escape.
Station House Officer Bahar Hussain Bhatti told The Express Tribune that a case had been registered against the two unidentified assailants on Shafiq’s complaint.
He said a police team had been formed to look for the suspects. He said families of the injured men would also be questioned to find out if the attack was a result of an unknown rivalry.
Three killed, three injured in road accidents
Three people were killed and three others injured in two road accidents in the city.
Rescue officials said that Muhammad Mohsin, 22, was killed when the motorcycle he was driving hit another near Eden Gardens at Canal Road. The driver of the other motorcycle, Muhammad Aslam, 20, was injured and taken to divisional headquarters hospital. Doctors said he was in critical condition.
In another accident, an oil tanker ran over four pedestrians near Roshanwala By-pass on Samundri Road. Two of them, identified as Muhammad Rizwan and Muhammad Shafi, died on the spot. The other two, Abdul Khaliq and Shahabuddin, were injured and taken to DHQ hospital, where they were reported to be in critical condition.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 9th, 2013.