Death of a cop

Of course, the smartphone is a wonderful invention making communication, information, knowledge and entertainment easily accessible in all parts of the world. The device has brought the entire globe in one’s palm. But like everything else it has uses and misuses. Now its careless handling and increasing use for frivolous activities have assumed alarming proportions considering the rising cases of death and injury related to the device. On Friday in Gujrat, Punjab, a police constable named Shahzad died when his own pistol accidentally went off seriously injuring him. A woman was handling the weapon while she was recording a Tiktok video. The wounded constable later died in a hospital. According to press reports, a group of males and females was travelling in a car while the constable was at the wheel. One of the men was a close friend of the cop’s.

Initial police investigations have revealed that in the moving car, one of the girls took the cop’s pistol and began making a video on Tiktok. The cop tried to stop the girl but she went on playing with the weapon during which it went off and a bullet hit the cop in the head. The three suspects fled the scene but were later arrested. A clear picture might emerge after further investigations. A large number of people have died in various parts of the world during the filming of videos on the Tiktok app. Recently, a somewhat famous girl had managed to enter the offices of the ministry of foreign affairs in Islamabad allegedly with the help of some influential people. The girl had also recorded a video showing her sitting inside a well-furnished office. The possibility of such intrusions cannot be ruled out in the future. Enemy forces could send a lookalike of a celebrity into government establishments. This is a dangerous situation. The government needs to stay alert and take all necessary precautionary measures. 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2020.

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