Four police guards charged with murder of teenage boy

KARACHI: The four police personnel involved in the shootout in Defence were presented in court on Friday and charged with murder, DIG South Abdul Khalid Shaikh confirmed to Dawn.com. The incident on Thursday left an 18-year-old boy and a police guard dead while another teenager and private security guard were also injured. The shootout took place outside the residence of Suleman Lashari who was killed in the incident in Defence. The injured boy, Salman Abro, is alleged to have take taken his father's guards to Suleman's residence where he was shot in the back by the victim's guard. "There is also a strong probability that Sarwar Abro, the police officer whom the guards were assigned to, will face disciplinary action," Shaikh added. Departmental disciplinary action looks into violations of efficiency and discipline rules where a show cause notice is issued to the officer who has up to two weeks to prepare for his defense after which they must present their case before the chief secretary and the chief minister. If found guilty, the repercussion range from a deduction in salary to more strict action such as demotion or dismissal from service. “This is the procedure for an officer who is not directly involved but there is suspicion that either his guards went with his consent or through his negligence,” Shaikh said. Commenting on the growing gun culture in Karachi, DIG Shaikh said the police department is working with Citizens Trust Against Crime to gain control on the issue mostly through organised screening of vehicles. On the issue of gun licensing DIG Shaikh said, “That is the broader issue, we are focusing on how to improve enforcement. Guns have become a status symbol. Sure, sometimes it is needed for security but there is excessive and unnecessary brandishing.” The news of this latest incident is yet another grim indicator of the growing gun violence among young adults who are choosing to take the law into their own hands over petty disputes.