'Mentally ill' software engineer shoots man dead in Karachi

KARACHI: A 'mentally ill' software engineer gunned down a man in Karachi before being killed by police late Friday, officials said.

The postmortem report disclosed that 18 bullets were shot at the victim, the police disclosed on Saturday. 

According to the police, the victim, Waseem, was employed at the accused Saqib Jamal's home in FB area.

"Saqib went underground in Islamabad some time back," a police spokesperson told Geo News.

The police said that an investigation in Jamal's association with a terrorist organisation was underway.

The suspect took his own family hostage after the police reached the site. A policeman was injured and Jamal killed during the exchange of fire.  

SP Gulberg Bashir Brohi said the suspect was a software engineer, but the way he confronted the police team showed he was trained in using firearms.

The suspect's family said Wasim - the ­man shot dead earlier - was a former employee at their factory and they often helped him financially. However today, Wasim came armed with a knife and demanded money, they added.

Residents in the neighbourhood said Wasim alias Babu Chacha was a decent man. Saqib allegedly got enraged after having found Wasim armed with a knife.

Police believe that Saqib had been suffering from 'mental health issues' because of unemployment.

Both the bodies were shifted to hospital for further formalities.