Two young men were gunned down in Rawalpindi’s Morgah area on Tuesday following a petty argument over a debt of Rs1,300. The incident, which has left the local community in shock, turned a minor financial disagreement into a double homicide in a matter of seconds.
Police identified the victims as 20-year-old Usman and 22-year-old Bilal. Witnesses told investigators that the suspect, identified as Hamza, confronted the pair near a local shop. The conversation—initially about the small outstanding amount—quickly escalated into a heated exchange.
Hamza pulled a firearm and opened fire at point-blank range. Both victims died on the spot before medical help could reach them. The shooter fled the scene immediately, leaving bystanders scrambling for cover.
“It’s a brutal end to a trivial dispute,” said a senior police official familiar with the investigation. “We are currently tracking the suspect’s movements using CCTV footage from the surrounding area and expect an arrest shortly.”
The bodies were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital for post-mortem examinations. While grieving families gathered outside the hospital, local residents expressed outrage over the increasing ease with which disputes in the city are now being settled with lethal force.
Morgah police have registered a case against the suspect under sections of the Pakistan Penal Code related to murder. Investigators are now conducting raids at suspected hideouts to track down the perpetrator.
For the residents of this Rawalpindi neighborhood, the tragedy serves as a grim reminder of the rising volatility on city streets—where a debt of less than five dollars has cost two families their sons.
