Man ‘accidentally’ crushed under crane

Machinery operator did not notice deceased sleeping on debris

KARACHI:

A man was found dead under a crane in Mujahid Colony. The body was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where the deceased was identified 55-year-old Ishtiaq.

According to SHO Nazimabad, Sub-Inspector Muhammad Riyaz, the area residents had called shovels and cranes to lift the debris from their houses and other work. During the work Ishtiaq was crushed under a crane and died on the spot.

The SHO mentioned that no demolition work was going on at the time of the incident. However, two crane operators were taken into custody for interrogation and machineries were impounded. The relatives of the deceased, while talking to media at the hospital, mentioned that Ishtiaq’s house was demolished during the anti-encroachment operation. Later, he used to dig through the debris to recover his belongings and retrieve the steel bar.

As he had no house, he used to sleep on debris, the relatives said, adding, he was sleeping on the rubbles when the crane operator started work.

There is a possibility that crane operators did not see Ishtiaq sleeping there and the accident took place, the relatives said.

Ishtiaq was the father of four children and supported his family by driving a rickshaw.

The police handed over the dead body to the heirs after legal formalities.

Meanwhile, Aziz Bhatti police arrested a suspect Javed, after an encounter near the Dalmia Cement Factory. The accused was shifted to the Jinnah hospital for treatment. According to the police officials, a weapon, two mobile phones, and a snatched motorcycle were recovered.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2022.