Rickshaw driver dies in police custody after being accused of robbery

• Police arrested a rickshaw driver over alleged involvement in a robbery
• The driver died in police custody after being tortured
• He was arrested after a mobile shop was looted in DHA

KARACHI: A driver rickshaw driver who was arrested allegedly for being involved in street crimes has reportedly died in police custody, BOL News reported.

Darakhshan Police arrested Abdul Rasheed, a resident of Qayumabad, from his residence five days ago for his allegedly involvement in street crimes and incidents of robbery in Defence Housing Authority (DHA).

He was detained in custody and was brutally tortured by police. His body was handed over to his family after being tortured for more than three days. His family took the body to Jinnah Hospital for post-mortem.

Police sources revealed was arrested for helping the victims escape in his rickshaw. Police said he was involved in a robbery incident at a shop in DHA where mobile phones worth 1.5 crore rupees were stolen.

Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Investigation Zahid Parween said there was a robbery at a mobile phone shop located in Sehar Commercial. She said the rickshaw used in the robbery belonged to the driver after which he was arrested and taken into custody.

She said a post-mortem is being conducted to know the actual cause of death. She said action will be taken if anyone is found involved in the incident.

A robbery worth Rs10 million took place in a mobile phone shop in Phase 7, DHA. The CCTV footage of the incident shows the suspects escaping with cash and mobile phones.

The footage shows at least two robbers at the mobile shop and one of them is seen pointing a gun at the shopkeepers. Police said the incident was reported soon after it took place and an investigation was started.

SSP South Syed Asad Raza revealed that two robbers armed with weapons entered a shop pretending to be customers requiring cell phone repairs.

One of the suspects restrained the security guard who was in a conversation with other staff members, while the other suspect took 15-20 valuable cell phones and fled with his accomplice.

The shopkeepers protested against the robbery which affected the flow of traffic. Shopkeepers also closed Badar Commercial Market and Khada Market. The protest ended after receiving assurances from police.