At least a man was killed while 13 others sustained injures when unidentified armed men, who were said to be the associates of notorious gangster Ahmad Ali Magsi, hurled hand grenade a seafood eatery (Yadgar Fish) located in Jamsheed Quarter police remits over refusal of paying extortion on early Saturday.
According to SHO Jamsheed Qaurter Khusnood, at around 2:30 am, two unknown armed riders reached at Yadgar Fish and threw hand grenade after resorting heavy aerial firing. After committing the crime, the grenade hurlers easily managed to flee, leaving 13 persons in a pool of blood. The injured persons, who were identified as Saleem, 50 son of Fateh Muhammad, Khalil, Jalil, Sikander, Ismail, Shahid, Ashar, Atif, Manzoor, Irfan, Aalmuddin, Akbar, Ahmaduddin, Bilal and Arif, were rushed to Civil and Jinnah hospitals for treatment where Saleem succumbed to his injuries. He said the deceased was serving as loaf-maker in the said eatery. He said the case 251/12 was registered under Sections 302, 334/34, 3/4 and 7ATA against unidentified men on the complaint of eatery owner Muhammad Younus.
Sources said the notorious gangster Ahmad Ali Magsi, who was also wanted in the murders of two MQM men in PIB colony, has demanded Rs 1.5 million protection money from the owner of the fish outlet. They said the owner Younus, who had already paid the first instalment of Rs 0.1 million, has faced the dire consequence when he refused to pay more to them.
Meanwhile, DSP Qaiser Ali said, "although we have also received information that the Lyari gangsters were involved in this attack, the owner has so far not identified anyone in his statement". "There are several unconfirmed reports that the grenade was hurled with the aim to suppress the owner to pay Bhatta but nobody even the owner did not complain in this regard".
Sources in Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) said the Russian made grenade, which was used in Lyari, was hurled at the fish shop added that this grenade did not contain ball bearings or bolts but filled with high explosive material that cause to provide severe burn injures to the objects came in the range of 80 meters. The shopkeepers at Jamsheed road staged a protest demonstration against the said incident. The protesters, who chanted slogans against the extortionists and burnt tyres to express resentment, demanded to the authorities to take responsible persons to task.