1 dead, 4 policemen held after firing to control Karachi mob amid Coronavirus lockdown

Pakistani security officials stand outside a quarantine facility for people (Photo: IANS)


Four policemen were arrested after they resorted to aerial firing in Karachi which resulted in the death of a woman while trying to control a mob during ration distribution amid a lockdown in the city, according to an official.

On Wednesday, a Station House Officer (SHO) said that a scuffle broke out between volunteers of two welfare organisations who had arranged the ration distribution drive in the city’s Nishter Basti area on Tuesday without informing the district administration, Dawn news reported.

Police arrived to control the situation and the four officials resorted to aerial firing after they were pushed by the crowd.

One bullet hit a woman, who was standing by a window in her house.

According to the police, she sustained a head wound and was taken to a private hospital where she passed away.

However, senior Superintendent of Police (East) Tanveer Alam told the media that the victim’s family has decided not to file a complaint.

The policemen were arrested on Wednesday.

Last week, at least seven terrorists and two soldiers were killed in an operation conducted by the Pakistani security forces in North Waziristan.

In 2019, a roadside bomb attack in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal district killed three army officers and a soldier.

In 2017, a hand grenade attack at a restaurant in Pakistan’s Balochistan province left 20 labourers injured.

Such attacks in the past have been mostly attributed to nationalist groups who want Baloch people to work in place of Sindhi and Punjabi labourers.