Police in Karachi arrest three suspects allegedly involved in the murder of a young doctor during a robbery

Karachi Police said on Wednesday that the force had arrested three of the five suspects allegedly involved in the robbery and killing of a young doctor at Teen Talwar earlier this week.

During a press conference at his office, Southern Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Syed Asad Raza confirmed the arrest while accompanied by Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Karachi DIG Muqaddas Haider.

Dr. Akash Kumar, a 28-year-old doctor, was shot dead on Monday after armed robbers intercepted his vehicle near Teen Talwar in Clifton and fled with around Rs.2 million that he was carrying after withdrawing cash from a private bank. The murder had triggered widespread outrage from citizens as well as the health service.

Following the incident, Raza said he formed a special investigation team headed by South Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mahzoor Ali. The team included South SSP (investigation), station house officers and investigation officers.

“The team obtained CCTV footage from the banks and surrounding areas, traced the escape routes of the suspects and identified them through CCTV analysis,” Raza disclosed during the press conference.

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He further said that the police spotted a suspicious car at the Defense on Tuesday evening and after the personnel pursued the vehicle, they were able to arrest three suspects in connection with the aforementioned robbery-murder case.

“Police seized three pistols and cell phones from the suspects next to the car with a fake number plate, which they used to flee.”

Raza said the police registered separate cases under Section 23(i)(A) ​​at the Defense Police.

Outlining the findings of the preliminary investigation, Raza said the suspects allegedly confessed their involvement in Dr. Kumar’s murder.

He said the suspects admitted to raiding the victim through their accomplices inside the bank from where Dr. Kumar withdrew the money.

“The suspect, Ram Chand, identified the victim, noted his appearance and alerted his co-conspirators that Rs 5 million had been withdrawn and was being transported from one bank to another for deposit. Following the tip-off, the assailants carried out the armed robbery.”

The DIG said further investigations revealed that the arrested suspects were members of a gang allegedly involved in numerous robberies and street crimes across Karachi.

He revealed that the arrested suspects arrived in Karachi from other parts of the province and stayed near Kala Board in Malir.

“A total of five suspects were involved in the robbery and efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining two.”

DIG Raza said the police confiscated weapons, mobile phones and vehicles used in the robbery-murder case and recovered the stolen Rs2 million after the arrest of three suspects.

Recalling the events leading up to the robbery, he said the young doctor, along with his father, arrived at a private bank in Clifton Block 7 at around 10am. 11:40 am and raised Rs 5 million.

Read: Young doctor killed in Clifton bank robbery

“The money was put in two envelopes. He put the Rs3 million envelope on the front seat and Rs2 million envelopes in a bag next to him,” DIG detailed, adding that the family then drove towards another bank near Frere Hall.

“Before the victim and his father could get out of the car to enter the other bank, four men intercepted their vehicle on two motorcycles,” he explained, adding that one of the suspects got off and opened fire on the bank security guard, injuring him, and another suspect approached the rear of the car, opened the window and shot him, critically wounding him, Dr. Kumar.

“The assailant then grabbed the envelope containing Rs2 million from Dr Kumar before fleeing with his co-conspirators on the two motorcycles.”

DIG Raza said the injured young doctor was taken to a private hospital for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries.

He highlighted that a first information report was registered at Frere police station against the armed robbers under Sections 34 (common intention), 302 (premeditated murder) and 397 (robbery or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

In response to a question, the DIG rejected claims of “pressure” to solve the case, citing that police solved 85% of robbery-murder cases this year after arresting nominated suspects in the cases.

He stated that this was the first robbery-murder case registered in the Southern District this year and claimed that surveillance footage played a key role in identifying and apprehending the suspects.

A press release issued by the South Zone Police spokesperson after the press conference revealed that the suspects were previously nominated in several criminal cases.

According to the police, one of the suspects in the case attributed to the shooter who killed the doctor was wanted in five cases registered by the police and the counter-terrorism department.

Similarly, another suspect had earlier been named in eight criminal cases and two Anti-Vehicle Lifting Cell cases.

The spokesman said police were conducting raids to arrest the two suspects on the run in the case.

Separately, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar praised the police for the swift arrest of the suspects and said the case would act as a deterrent to criminals.

In a statement, the Home Secretary said that Dr. Kumar’s killing was an “extremely tragic and heartbreaking” incident, adding that the government stood in solidarity with the victim’s family in their grief.