Teenager allegedly run over by employer after work dispute

Police secure four-day remand of main suspect

LAHORE:

A 15-year-old orphan was allegedly run over and killed by a car following a dispute over work at a private housing society in Multan. Police said the incident occurred in Royal Orchard, within the jurisdiction of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) police station. Rescue officials said Muhammad Waseem Abbas, the teenager boy, sustained a severe head injury and died at the scene. His body was shifted to Nishtar Hospital under police supervision before being taken to his native area in Muzaffargarh, where he was buried. According to police, Waseem was learning electrical work under contractor Tauqeer Nazir, who was carrying out work at a house in the housing society. Following an argument over work, the teenager allegedly tried to leave, prompting Tauqeer to chase him in a car and run him over. Police said another suspect, Amjad Ali, was also in the vehicle at the time of the incident. Investigators said Waseem had been staying at Tauqeer’s house in Zakariya Town for around a week and a half. He was sent to the housing society on October 11 to learn electrical work and returned to the orphanage on October 15, where he met his friends. He went back to work with Tauqeer on the morning of October 17, police said. The contractor reportedly took him to work and brought him back each day. Other children were also working under him. Waseem’s maternal grandfather had enrolled him in an orphanage to enable him to receive an education. Police arrested Tauqeer after the incident and registered a case against him and the other suspect. On Monday, DHA police produced Tauqeer before Judicial Magistrate Saadia Aslam at the district courts under tight security. The police sought physical remand to complete the investigation and arrest Amjad Ali. The court granted the request and handed Tauqeer over to police on a four-day physical remand, directing investigators to produce him again after its completion. As police escorted the suspect out of the court after the hearing, a group of lawyers surrounded him and assaulted him with slaps and punches. Despite a heavy police presence, the lawyers reached the suspect and continued beating him as he was taken from the court premises towards the outside of the district courts. Police eventually placed him in a rickshaw and took him to the DHA police station. Lawyers, including Shahbaz Khan Baloch, said they would pursue legal action to secure justice for the deceased teenager and ensure that those responsible were punished in accordance with the law. Meanwhile, Multan City Police Officer Akhtar Farooq told the Express News that the investigation was under way and that police had collected important evidence. The vehicle allegedly used in the incident was in police custody, he said. A police team was in Faisalabad conducting raids to arrest Amjad, who remained at large, the CPO added, expressing confidence that the second suspect would be arrested soon.