Young doctor shot dead in robbery near Karachi's Teen Talwar: police

KARACHI: A young doctor practicing at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) was shot dead during a robbery near Clifton on Monday, according to police.

South Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the incident occurred near Teen Talwar, where a young doctor, identified as Akash Kumar, lost his life.

He said Dr Kumar was present outside a bank along with his father and cousin when armed suspects attempted to rob them.

“During the course of the incident, firing took place, resulting in fatal injuries to the doctor. It is reported that the bank security guard also opened fire, leading to a crossfire.”

“The suspects fled the scene following the incident after looting approximately Rs2.5 million,” the South DIG said.

He further said that Dr Kumar was unmarried and had been serving at JPMC for the past two years. His body was shifted from JPMC to the Chhippa morgue after completion of legal formalities.

The senior police official added that CCTV footage from the vicinity had been obtained to help identify the suspects. Additionally, coordinates from the route and the place of occurrence had been acquired for geo-fencing analysis.

DIG Raza said that during the initial probe, it had been confirmed that the bullet that caused the fatal injury was fired by the bank security guard, who had been arrested.

“A spent bullet casing from the guard’s pistol has also been recovered,” he said.

Detailing the incident, DIG Raza said that Dr Kumar had withdrawn Rs5 million from a private bank near Dilpasand at around 12:30pm. He also made purchases amounting to Rs50,000 from there.

The police official elaborated that the doctor, along with his father and cousin, had travelled a short distance when they reached another bank. Around that time, four suspects on two motorcycles who were following them caught up with the victim.

Around this time, the private security guard, thinking that the robbers had come to loot the bank, entered the bank and took out his pistol. The cop said police were informed through Madadgar-15 around the same time.

He added that as the suspects were snatching a bag containing Rs2.5 million from the victim, they fired two shots, while the guard also opened fire. The victim was struck in the chest by a bullet and was taken to a private hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.