Picnic turns tragic near Karachi's Hawkes Bay as robbers injure woman, child

A woman and an eight-year-old girl were injured during a robbery attempt near Machli Chowk in Mauripur area in Karachi, police said on Friday.

The incident occurred when a family en route to Hawksbay for a picnic faced car trouble, leading to an attack by armed motorcyclists.

According to police, the armed suspects opened fire when the family resisted the robbery, injuring the woman and child, who were later taken to Civil Hospital for medical treatment. The assailants fled the scene with a phone and purse.

In response to the incident, Director Inspector General (DIG) South Asad Raza issued a show-cause notice to the station house officer (SHO) Mauripur and formed a committee to investigate the matter.

"We have demanded an explanation from the DSP Maripur and ordered the SHO to arrest the suspects within a week," Raza stated.

He issued a warning of departmental action if the culprits were not apprehended.

It is noteworthy that 82 people have lost their lives this year in Karachi during robbery resistance.

In recent months, the country's most populous city has witnessed an upsurge in street crime, which has prompted concerns over public safety and the apparent lack of law enforcement measures.

Incidents of street crime have become rampant across the city, and their CCTV footage becomes viral on social media platforms, day in day out.

Tragically, this escalation of street crime has resulted in loss of lives, as according to official data, 23 individuals have been killed in robbery-related incidents during January and February, of this year, alone.