Chinese worker killed in ‘targeted attack’ after his car was riddled with bullets in Karachi, Pakistan
The 45-year-old victim, Chen Zhu, was in his car when at least 10 shots were fired at him, with one striking him in the head
A Chinese man working with a shipping company in Pakistan was shot dead on Monday in what police described as a targeted attack in Karachi, police and hospital officials said.
The man, identified as Chen Zhu, 45, was in his car when he was attacked in an upmarket area of the port city of Karachi.
At least 10 shots were fired at the car, and Chen suffered a single bullet wound in the head, police said.
Hospital officials said Zhu was admitted in a critical condition, but later died.
“The incident appears to be [a] targeted attack, [it] doesn’t look [like] a mugging,” said Azad Khan, deputy inspector general of Karachi’s south zone.
“The victim is associated with Cosco Shipping Lines Co, a Chinese shipping company. We are trying to get further details,” Khan added.
Another officer, Javed Akbar Riaz, confirmed that Chen had an employee ID from Cosco.
The shipping company could not be reached for comment in Karachi on Monday.
Tens of thousands of Chinese nationals have come to Pakistan, but the new arrivals face dangers, creating a headache for Pakistani security officials.
Islamic State’s abduction and killing last June of two Chinese nationals in the southwestern province of Baluchistan highlighted the security risks that have put off many Western companies.
Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, still has a reputation for gang shootings and other violence, despite a paramilitary crackdown that began in 2013 and sharply reduced killings.
Two employees of a shipping firm were targeted in an upscale neighbourhood while out shopping for groceries on Monday.
Khan says the perpetrators fired nine shots before fleeing in a car. He says one victim was shot twice in the head and died at a hospital while the other was shot in the leg.
China has invested heavily in transport projects in Pakistan as the two countries have strengthened ties in recent years.
