Maj. Gen. Feroz Khan, the suspended deputy chief of the South African Police Service Crime Intelligence unit, sustained a single gunshot wound to the abdomen in a failed assassination attempt late on Sunday night in Johannesburg.

A passerby discovered the senior officer lying beside his vehicle in Third Avenue, Houghton. Khan remained conscious and identified himself to the motorist. He is now in a critical but stable condition at Milpark Hospital following emergency surgery.

How Feroz Khan was found after the shooting

The motorist who stopped saw an Indian man on the side of the road with his legs still inside the gray Suzuki Baleno. He initially thought Khan was drunk. Khan then spoke, gave his name and told the passerby he had been shot in the abdomen.

The witness contacted a local security company and requested an ambulance. While Khan waited for medical assistance, Col. Ishmael Dawood, a colleague from Crime Intelligence, arrived and introduced himself as the first police officer on the scene. Sources said it remains unclear who alerted Dawood to the incident.

Investigators recovered two shell casings at the location. There were no bullet holes in the Suzuki Baleno Khan had been driving.

Note found at scene and items taken

Police discovered a handwritten note at the scene. Sources believe Khan wrote it. The note allegedly named two senior Crime Intelligence members and stated that a case of defeating the ends of justice or contempt of court should be opened against them. It also called for the National Prosecuting Authority’s Investigation Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) to investigate the matter.

Khan’s cellphone and laptop were reportedly taken during the incident. However, his laptop was later found hidden in the spare wheel compartment of the vehicle.

Paramedics took Khan to Milpark Hospital, where he underwent surgery. He remains in a critical but stable condition.

Khan was due to testify before the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday. Various allegations had already been made against him at the commission.

He is currently on bail after his arrest on 10 May at his luxury apartment in Houghton Estate. Khan faces charges of possession of precious metals and defeating the ends of justice, together with Maj. Gen. Ebrahim Kadwa and businessman Tariq Downes. The three appeared in court on 11 May and were each released on R20 000 bail. The case was postponed until 14 July for further investigation.