Seven-year-old girl killed by suspect's gun, police cites forensic report

Police had earlier claimed to have killed a suspect during a second robbery

KARACHI: Police denied on Wednesday that the bullet which killed a seven-year-old girl in the port city's Gizri locality on the eve of Independence day was fired from a law enforcer's gun and claimed that forensic reports suggested that the fatal shot was fired from the suspect's weapon.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, DIG South Javed Alam Odho claimed the suspects had been identified and had committed several robberies and muggings. "It was an unfortunate incident. According to the forensics report, the fatal bullet was fired from the suspects' pistol."

"The incident is under investigation. The prime suspect has been killed in a police encounter while another fled the crime scene. He was also involved in wounding a person during a mugging in Korangi Industrial Area," he added.

Odho revealed that police was tracking the suspects whose primary area for criminal activity was Gizri and Akhtar Colony.

Police had earlier claimed to have killed one of the suspects in an exchange of fire at the Akhtar Colony signal on main Korangi Road while the suspects were trying to rob another citizen.

According to District South SSP Omar Shahid Hamid, three street criminals had snatched a mobile phone from a citizen when a motorcycle squad of the Madadgar police helpline engaged them, adding that one of the robbers was killed and two others managed to flee the scene.



The police had also claimed to have seized a pistol and ten stolen mobile phones from the possession of the deceased robber.

The seven-year-old girl was identified as Aymal, daughter of Omar Adil. She studied at a school in DHA. Her body was handed over to the family for burial after medico-legal formalities were completed at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

Aymal was shot dead in the crossfire between the police and bandits who were robbing her family.

On rising street crime

Meanwhile, speaking to the The Express Tribune about the rising street crime in the city, Odho said that the police were busy in ensuring the election process went smoothly. The SHOs and DSPs were also transferred for this purpose that led to the recent increase in street crime, especially in parking areas where motorcycles and mobile phones were being snatched, Odho said.



Assuring that the police was making efforts to curb street crime, he claimed that around 80 to 100 suspects were taken into custody on a daily basis.

The South DIG claimed that the crime graph in the city is expected to come down after the arrest of two major gangs in Karachi that have been identified by the police.