KARACHI / ISLAMABAD: The Karachi District East police have reportedly solved the murder case of an online ride-hailing driver, arresting a suspect allegedly involved in the killing during what is described as a “carjacking adventure” inspired by a video game.
The suspect, identified as Abdul Samad, confessed in a video statement to booking the ride with the intention of stealing the car, according to police. The victim, Shahzaib, was found dead in Karachi’s Scheme 33 neighborhood on November 10. He had driven a passenger from Hyderabad to Karachi.
Following the murder, a special team was formed by the District East’s deputy inspector general and senior superintendent of police to investigate the case. The Sachal police station’s operation and investigation wings conducted a raid, leading to the arrest of Abdul Samad.
The arrest was made based on leads obtained from the technical analysis of the GPS tracker data, CCTV footage, and other evidence collected during the investigation. The initial findings suggest that the suspect killed Shahzaib during a “carjacking adventure” near Punjabi Sodagaran Society. Samad allegedly pointed a pistol at the driver, demanding him to stop the car, and fatally shot him in the neck when he complied.
However, the suspect’s attempt to steal the car was thwarted as the GPS tracker deactivated the engine. The murder weapon and bullets were recovered from the suspect. Shahzaib had initially booked a ride from Hyderabad to Karachi’s Korangi area and, after dropping off the passenger, booked another ride that was responded to by the suspect.
In a video statement, Samad admitted to killing the driver during a carjacking adventure inspired by a video game. He claimed to have tried to stop Shahzaib’s bleeding, then placed the body in the car’s backseat and drove to a secluded area, where he dumped it in the bushes. Unable to restart the car, he cleaned it and fled. The pistol used in the crime was revealed to be licensed and belonged to Samad’s father.
Relatives of the deceased informed the police after tracking down the car using its GPS location. Initially, police had suspected the involvement of a woman in the crime due to the recovery of jewelry from the car.
