Teen faces terror charge over road crash

Survivor claims juvenile driver stalked victims before deadly crash

LAHORE:

Police have revealed the details of the investigation of the recent tragedy in Defence, where a teenage driver Afnan rammed his car into another vehicle, resulting in the death of six family members.

Police investigations indicate that Afnan had harassed the victims, following them for a considerable distance before the fatal collision.

Crash survivor and the driver of the targeted car Hasnain and his father had noticed Afnan's ‘inappropriate behaviour’ and attempted to stop him from misbehaving and following them. The suspect had been tailing the family's car from Y block, harassing them along the way.

Hasnain informed the police that he had admonished Afnan, urging him to cease his misconduct. However, Afnan responded with verbal abuse and threats against the victims.

The tragic incident occurred near McDonald Chowk, where Afnan, allegedly speeding, collided with the victims' car.

The impact caused the victims' vehicle to overturn multiple times, eventually coming to rest about 70 feet away from the accident point. In response to the investigation, DIG Imran Kishwar suspended Sub Inspector Murtaza and Investigations Officer Umar for negligence in the case.

The investigations, now including sections related to terrorism and murder, have been reassigned to DSP Kahna. A video interview featuring Afnan has surfaced, providing his perspective on the incident. Afnan, a grade eight student, claimed to have been driving for over a year, having learned from his cousins.

He recounted the night of the incident, stating that his father initially prohibited him from leaving in the car but eventually relented. Afnan admitted to driving at speeds exceeding 100 kilometres per hour.

As the tragedy unfolded, Afnan encountered road barriers near the accident site, with the victims' car moving slowly in front of him. He claimed to have had no choice but to collide with the victims' vehicle.

Read: Child injured in hit-and-run accident

The accident resulted in the heart-breaking loss of six family members, including two minors and two women, who were returning home after visiting relatives.

In response to the incident, City Traffic Police Lahore (CTPL) has initiated the registration of FIRs against underage drivers. CTO Mustansir Feroze revealed that 1213 cases have been registered in the last three days.

Pickets have been established in various parts of the city, particularly in upscale areas, to take action against underage drivers.

11 killed in road crashes

At least 11 people were killed and 1,268 were injured in 1,183 Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) across Punjab during the last 24 hours.

Of the injured, 631 people with serious injuries were shifted to different hospitals, while 637 victims with minor injuries were treated at the incident site by Rescue Medical Teams.

The majority of RTCs, 73%, involved motorbikes. Further analysis showed those 588 drivers, 45 underage drivers, 170 pedestrians and 521 passengers were among the victims of RTCs.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2023.