ISLAMABAD: Two young women were killed early Tuesday morning when their scooter was hit by a speeding luxury vehicle reportedly driven by a 16-year-old boy.
The underage driver is reportedly the son of a high-profile personality associated with judiciary. The victims — 25-year-old Samreen Hussain and 26-year-old Tabinda Batool — were returning home from work at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) when the accident occurred.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the two friends were travelling on a scooter when a speeding V-8 vehicle rammed them from behind.
Witnesses and police reports state that the vehicle was being driven negligently at high speed. The impact proved catastrophic, killing both women on the spot.
The Secretariat Police have registered a case against the underage driver on the complaint of Adnan Tajammal, the brother of deceased Samreen Hussain. The FIR includes charges under Section 322 (Punishment for qatl-bis-sabab, or unlawful killing without intent), Section 279 (rash driving on a public way), and Section 427 (mischief causing damage) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The inclusion of Section 322 is significant, as it pertains to deaths caused by unlawful acts — in this case, driving by a minor who was not legally eligible to hold a driver’s licence. Family members described the victims as ambitious and hardworking young professionals. According to complainant Adnan Tajammal, both Samreen and Tabinda were enrolled in an interior design course at the PNCA and worked part-time with an event management company. They had left for the PNCA at noon on Monday and were returning home after completing their shift when the tragedy occurred.
The boy was taken into police custody on Tuesday in connection with the fatal accident and a judicial magistrate directed police to present the accused again on December 7. She approved a four-day physical remand of the accused and handed him over to police investigators.
According to Geo News, the prosecutor informed the court that the suspect did not possess a national identity card or a driving licence at the time of arrest.
According to the prosecutor, the teenager claimed his CNIC had already been made, but he did not have it on him.
The court was also told that, by the suspect’s own statement, he had been recording a video on his mobile phone moments before the crash. The prosecutor added that the boy threw away his phone right after the incident, and investigators were still trying to recover it.
Police further informed the court that a medical test was required to confirm the suspect’s exact age. Following the arguments, the judge handed the accused over to the police on a four-day physical remand for further investigation.
