A prayer leader was shot dead in a suspected targeted attack in Karachi’s Sachal area on Friday morning, officials said. Mohammed Arbab, 55, was coming out of the Minarul Huda Masjid in Sachal Goth near Murtaza Chowk after offering Fajr prayers when armed pillion riders opened indiscriminate fire on him and fled, said Malir Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Irfan Bahadur.
According to reports, Arbab received 11 bullet wounds and was rushed to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, but died during treatment, according to police surgeon Dr Qarar Ahmed Abbasi. “It appeared to be a targeted killing incident,” the Malir SSP told a private news channel. However, the senior officer ruled out the possibility of a sectarian motive being behind the murder. He pointed out that the deceased was a prayer leader of the mosque belonging to the Ahle Hadees school of thought.
