This Karachi target killing case is easy to crack

This Karachi target killing case is easy to crack

Two religious scholars from Jamia Uloom-e-Islamia of Banuri Town and a student were ambushed and killed in a brazen target killing operation in the very crowded Nursery area of Karachi on Thursday, January 31.  Abdul Majeed Deenpuri, Mufti Saleh Muhamad , and student Muhammad Hassan Ali Shah (driver) were traveling in a Suzuki high-roof when they were targeted in broad daylight.

Here is the camera footage of the killing.

We believe this a fairly simple case to solve.  Here is how.

What do we know about the killing?

We know the date, time, and exact place.

Any basic information about the killers?

The surveillance camera footage is not very clear to recognize the faces of the three men, but heights of two men who fired their guns can be estimated in comparison with the height of the Suzuki high-roof-- based on the time of the day and the length of the shadows, estimates of heights can be corroborated.

Information about where the killers came from and where they went

The same camera that shows the killing can possibly give us information about the time when these three men arrived at the scene, and the direction they came from.  Based on that information we can use surveillance cameras on other buildings to trace their path to the scene.  The footage clearly shows where they went.  Footage from cameras mounted on various buildings should be pieced together to establish the escape route of the killers and any other information we can gather.

Eye-witnesses

Yes, there were at least two.  The two people (roadside vendors?) you see running to take cover at 0:21 (after hearing the first shots) must have seen the three men waiting at the crime scene, for the arrival of the high-roof.

Establishing the identity of the killers

The target-killers knew that the high-roof was coming to that intersection.  Clearly there was a regular daily schedule people in the high-roof people kept.  How did the killers find out that schedule?  Most probably by following the high-roof for a couple of days.  We should look at the surveillance camera footage from previous days to establish who had been following the high-roof.

It is also very certain that someone followed the Suzuki high-roof on the day of the killing too.  The high-roof could be stuck in traffic, but the killers needed to be alert at the right time.  There must have been someone who followed the high-roof from the point it started moving and came following it the all the way to Nursery.  Who was it?  We believe it was the motorcyclist in light-colored shirt we see at 0:27 (he stops his motorcycle to check out the scene).

The person who was following the Suzuki high-roof must have been communicating with these three people on the mobile phone.  Anyone who uses modern technology to commit a crime leaves behind a lot of evidence.  Narrowing the time of the killing, investigations can be made about the cell phone numbers in connection with the cell-phone towers of the area, during that time.  The investigators can get records from the cell phone companies having service in that area, for calls made in that particular geographical area (cell) on that day and at that time.  There can possibly be hundreds of cell phone calls made through various phone companies during that time, in that particular cell, but unnecessary information can be quickly eliminated narrowing on time  and using the other very big clue: the phone that was in communication with the killer’s phone was changing towers (as it was moving towards Nursery).

With all these evidences left-behind by the killers nabbing them should be easy and quick.

Are you listening Mushtaq Shah (IG Sindh)?