KARACHI: Police arrested a software engineer in Karachi on Tuesday on the charge of killing his company’s chief executive officer over unpaid salaries, shedding light on the country’s dire economic conditions and progressively increasing cost of living.
Shoaib Khan, who recently quit his job as a web developer at the company, visited the office of the software house situated at the busy Shahrah-e-Faisal thoroughfare of the city on Monday evening and stabbed his former boss, Naveed Khan.
The CEO of the company died of his injuries while being transported to the hospital, according to a preliminary police report of the incident.
“Shoaib Khan has been arrested on murder charges,” Tariq Mehmood, the station house officer of Tipu Sultan police station, told Arab News. “He confessed to stabbing the deceased after a heated argument over three months of unpaid salaries, which had previously led to Shoaib’s resignation.”
Mehmood said the killing did not appear to be premeditated.
“The accused used a knife available at the office and did not carry any weapon with him, indicating that the incident was not planned beforehand,” he informed.
Imtiaz Khan, the brother of the deceased who also works at the company as a web support manager, said he was present when Shoaib went to the CEO’s cabin.
“We rushed to the room and took my brother to the hospital, but he passed away on the way,” he said in conversation with Arab News.
“My brother is survived by his widow and three children,” he added. “His youngest son was born just ten days ago.”
The incident highlights Pakistan’s severe economic challenges, rendering life increasingly unaffordable for a significant portion of the population.
Last Sunday, in Sindh’s Naushahro Feroze district, a father was arrested for burying his daughter alive.
The accused, identified as Machar Rajpur, told the police his financial situation had compelled him to commit the desperate act, as he could not afford medical treatment for his daughter.
