Karachi Police Arrest Three Suspects Allegedly Involved in Murder of Young Doctor During Robbery

Karachi police said on Wednesday they had arrested three of the five suspects allegedly involved in the robbery and murder of a young doctor in Teen Talwar earlier this week.

Addressing a press conference at his office, South Police Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza confirmed the arrest while accompanied by Criminal 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 escaped with around Rs 2 million he was carrying after withdrawing cash from a private bank. The murder sparked widespread outrage among citizens and the healthcare community.

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

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

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He further said that police spotted a suspicious car in Defensa on Tuesday night and after personnel pursued the vehicle, they were able to arrest three suspects linked to the aforementioned robbery-homicide case.

“The police confiscated three guns and mobile phones from the suspects next to the car that had a fake license plate that they used to escape.”

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

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

He said the suspects admitted to having conducted reconnaissance of the victim through their accomplice inside the bank from which Dr Kumar withdrew the money.

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Ram Chand, identified the victim, observed his appearance and alerted his accomplices that Rs 5 million had been withdrawn and was being transported from one bank to another for deposit.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

The DIG said further investigation 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 came to Karachi from other parts of the province and were residing near Kala Board in Malir.

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

DIG Raza said police seized the weapons, mobile phones and vehicles used in the robbery-murder case and recovered the stolen Rs 2 million following the arrest of three suspects.

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

Read: Young doctor killed in Clifton bank robbery

“The money was placed in two envelopes. He placed the envelope containing Rs 3 million on the front seat and the envelope containing Rs 2 million inside a bag next to him,” the DIG detailed, adding that the family then headed 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 dismounted and opened fire on the bank’s security guard, wounding him, and another suspect approached the back of the car, opened the window and shot Dr. Kumar, leaving him seriously injured.

“The assailant then forcibly snatched the envelope containing Rs 2 million from Dr Kumar before fleeing with his accomplices 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 the Frere police station against the armed robbers under sections 34 (common intention), 302 (premeditated murder) and 397 (robbery or dacoity, with intent to cause death or serious injury) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Responding to a question, the DIG refuted allegations of “pressure” to solve the case, citing that the police solved 85% of the robbery and murder cases this year after arresting the named suspects in the cases.

He said this is the first robbery-homicide case recorded in the Southern district this year and stated that surveillance footage played a key role in the identification and capture of the suspects.

A press release issued by the South Zone police spokesperson following the press conference revealed that the suspects had previously been named in several criminal cases.

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

Similarly, another suspect had previously been named in eight criminal cases and two anti-vehicle cell cases.

The spokesperson said police were conducting raids to arrest the two suspects who are absconding in the case.

On the other hand, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar praised the police for the quick arrest of the suspects and said the case would serve as a deterrent to criminals.

In a statement, the home minister said Dr Kumar’s murder was an “extremely tragic and heartbreaking” incident, adding that the government sympathizes with the victim’s family in their grief.