Illicit weapons, interference: Woman, driver remanded to jail

She is accused of harassing labourers constructing a pedestrian bridge

KARACHI: A woman and her driver, who were arrested from Clifton on Monday for meddling in official affairs, were sent on judicial remand till June 6 on Tuesday for possessing illicit weapons and intruding in construction of a pedestrian bridge.

“She [Talat Khan] would harass labourers of a private company with a repeater gun,” Boat Basin DSP Tariq Nawaz told The Express Tribune. “She runs a shop besides the bridge,” he explained.

Khan was taken into custody on Monday after the construction company administration lodged a complaint with the Boat Basin police against her for harassing its employees and reportedly asking for money. A repeater gun and several bullets were recovered from her possession. The accused has yet to produce the licence for the weapon.



A video, which went viral on Facebook, showed the woman sitting by a Clifton road, holding a repeater gun on Monday.

The issue had been going on from last year since the private builder, after getting a contract from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, was constructing the pedestrian bridge. The woman was also accused of breaking the windowpanes of the builder’s car by throwing stones. “We have arrested her on the FIR of rioting registered on behalf of the builder four days ago when she attacked him,” the officer explained. “But we did not arrest her despite registering a case.”

The officer said that a case had also been registered against another woman, Fiza, who colluded with Khan. However, she has yet to be arrested.

The woman, on the other hand, denied the charges and said she has been subjected to torture, adding that the pedestrian bridge was violating her privacy.

Judicial remand

A judicial magistrate sent Khan and her driver to prison on Tuesday in cases pertaining to possessing illicit weapons and intruding in construction of a bridge. The suspects were produced before District South judicial magistrate who sent them both to jail on judicial remand till June 6, seeking a charge-sheet from the police.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2016.