A doctor, identified as Dr Sarang Memon, was shot dead late on Monday night near Karachi’s Mehran Hotel, police said. Investigators said the killing appeared to be a suspected targeted attack and were collecting CCTV footage and other evidence.
KARACHI: A young doctor was shot dead late on Monday night in what police described as a suspected targeted attack near Mehran Hotel on Dr Dawood Pota Road, off Sharea Faisal/Stadium Road in Karachi.
Police identified the deceased as Dr Sarang Memon, who was originally from Badin district and lived in an apartment near the Karachi Press Club. According to police, his body was later sent to his native town for burial.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Syed Asad Raza said Dr Memon was travelling in a rickshaw with his wife when suspects in a car chased and intercepted them near Mehran Hotel. Geo News reported that the couple had been returning from Cantt Station and were on their way home at the time of the attack. Dawn reported that Dr Memon’s wife was also a doctor at a private hospital.
Police said the attackers opened fire before fleeing the scene. Investigators said Dr Memon suffered four bullet wounds, including injuries to the chest and legs. Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said he was brought to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre at 11:30pm and died during treatment around 20 minutes later. She added that the bullet wound to the chest was fatal. Geo reported that Dr Memon’s wife took him to hospital in the same rickshaw immediately after the shooting, where doctors confirmed his death.
Investigation under way
DIG Raza said the Crime Scene Unit had been called to gather evidence from the site and that CCTV footage was being collected. He said the initial inquiry suggested the killing was not linked to robbery and was apparently the result of personal enmity.
Geo reported that police were examining the murder from multiple angles. It also said a case would be registered on the complaint of the victim’s relatives after the burial.
Dr Memon was associated with a private hospital in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, according to police.
Family background shared by police
Police also shared details about tragedies in Dr Memon’s family. According to the information cited by police, one of his brothers, who was in the final year of MBBS at Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, drowned in the Indus River near Al-Manzar, Jamshoro. Another brother was shot dead in Badin after the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
Friends and relatives of the slain doctor also shared the family’s tragedy on social media, according to Dawn.
Recent attacks on health workers
Dawn also noted other recent incidents involving medical professionals. Earlier this month, urologist Dr Asif Malik was seriously injured after unidentified attackers opened fire on him in University Town, Peshawar, according to hospital and police officials. In March, a dialysis technician, Mohammad Arif Wazir, was shot dead by unidentified assailants near Wana tehsil in Lower South Waziristan district. In late February, Dr Mehwish Hasnain was shot dead while returning home after duty at a hospital in Kohat, triggering protests by her colleagues.
