A suspect allegedly involved in the killing of a varsity student a day earlier was arrested during an “encounter” which left him injured, the Karachi police chief said on Friday.

NED University of Engineering and Technology student Bilal Nasir, 21, was shot dead at a tea shop near Samama Shopping Mall on Thursday after resisting a robbery attempt.

Addressing a press conference at his office today, Karachi Additional Inspector General (AIG) Javed Odho said the suspect was arrested from Super Highway.

He said that a special team led by East Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Syed Abdul Rahim Shirazi was formed on Thursday night which — with the help of witnesses and CCTV footage — arrested the suspect while his accomplice had also been identified.

He said the suspect, identified as Nizamuddin, was a 16-year-old Tajik originally from Afghanistan, adding that his accomplice was also Tajik.

Odho further said that the suspect resided in Jamali Pull area off Super Highway. “The suspect is an illegal immigrant,” he said, adding that officials would soon arrest his accomplice.

At the same time, Odho also urged citizens to avoid showing resistance to robbers.

Protest held against killing

Meanwhile, students and activists of Islami Jamiat Taleba (IJT) held a demonstration outside NED University on main University Road against Nasir’s killing. They claimed that street crimes had increased on the main thoroughfare.

Speaking on the occasion, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem Rehman said officials deputed around the varsity “took huge sums of money in the name of security”.

He demanded law enforcement agencies protect the lives of the nation’s children and ensure peace. “We are not demanding charity,” he said, pointing out that the police and the Rangers operated using taxpayers’ money.

One side of University Road was closed during the protest, which caused a traffic jam on the busy artery.