Police have completed investigations into the killing of a 17-year-old student who was shot dead while travelling in a rickshaw in Karachi’s Landhi area on January 2, concluding that the fatal bullet was fired by a fleeing robber and not by the police.
The inquiry committee, headed by Landhi SDPO Faiza Suddhar, has submitted its final report to the Korangi SSP. According to the findings, the victim, Komal, was hit by a bullet fired by a suspect who was escaping after an encounter with police near Landhi No 6.
The report stated that the Awami Colony police engaged in an encounter with street criminals on January 2, during which one suspect was arrested in an injured condition. However, another suspect managed to flee with stolen cash and a laptop. While escaping, the suspect opened fire after spotting a Landhi police mobile patrol approaching from the opposite road.
The Landhi SDPO said a rickshaw was travelling ahead of the police mobile at the time. Komal was seated in the rickshaw along with her mother and younger brother when a bullet fired by the fleeing suspect shattered the rickshaw’s glass and struck her, resulting in her death.
The investigation also confirmed that the incident did not take place near Chiragh Hotel, as initially reported, but near Landhi No 6. The investigators stated that two suspects fled the scene on separate motorcycles while police pursued them. Upon sensing police presence at a nearby picket, one of the suspects resorted to indiscriminate firing.
At the time of the firing, a rickshaw passed between the police and the suspects, and a bullet fired by the suspect struck Komal in the chest. Statements of eyewitnesses, the rickshaw driver and Komal’s mother were recorded, and all available evidence was collected before finalising the report. Efforts are under way to arrest the absconding suspect.
