Balochistan police’s help sought to arrest Karachi assault suspect

KARACHI: South DIG Syed Asad Raza has formally requested the Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) to coordinate with Balochistan authorities for the swift arrest of Shahzain Marri, the prime suspect in a violent assault case at Boat Basin.

In the letter, the South DIG informed the Sindh IGP that a first information report (FIR) had been registered at Boat Basin Police Station, Karachi, under multiple sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), against the incident that occurred on the night of February 19, 2025.

The complainant, Barkat Ali Soomro, has alleged that he and his friend Wagas Ahmed had been attacked around 3am in the morning when they took a U-turn near a private bank.

Mentioning the FIR’s details, the letter stated that a four-wheel vehicle came from behind and took over the complainant’s car before rashly reversing and hitting their car.

This was followed by 5 to 6 armed assailants, reportedly intoxicated, getting out of the jeep and assaulting Soomro and his friend with pistol butts. The assailants also threatened them before fleeing the scene, DIG Raza added.

The letter further stated that the assailants had been identified as security guards employed by Shahzain Marri, a resident of District Kohlu, Balochistan, during the investigation.

As a result, five of the security guards had been arrested, while another suspect, Ghulam Qadir, remained at large, it added. South DIG said that the authorities had traced Qadir’s location and contact details to Balochistan.

“The case has been highlighted on social and print media. It is, therefore, requested that the matter be referred to the Balochistan inspector general of police (IGP) and the concerned DPO (district police officer) to facilitate the prompt arrest of Shahzain Marri and Ghulam Qadir,” the letter concluded.

The case came to light after the surfacing of CCTV footage showing the key suspect and his guards physically assaulting a citizen.

The video also captured their vehicle bumping into another car while reversing, before the suspects emerged with weapons in hand and started attacking an individual inside the other vehicle.

Following the emergence of the footage, police swiftly took action, arresting suspects linked to the attack.