Karachi policeman dies after being hit by alleged smugglers’ vehicle during checking

KARACHI: A policeman died on Saturday after being hit by a vehicle being driven by alleged smugglers in Gulshan-i-Maymar, according to police and rescue services officials.

Site Superhighway Station House Officer (SHO) Mohammad Nawaz said that a police mobile was on routine patrol at Maymar Mor when it signalled a car to stop for checking.

However, the suspects travelling in the car did not stop. They accelerated the vehicle and hit 36-year-old constable Abdul Manan, who sustained critical injuries.

He was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. His funeral prayers were later offered at the DIG East Zone Police Headquarters.

SHO Nawaz said other policemen chased the fleeing suspects in their mobile, which was also hit and damaged by the suspects.

Regardless, the police managed to arrest both suspects, identified as Agha Jan and Naseem.

The police officer said during the initial probe, it was discovered that the seized car was heavily loaded with chalia (betel nut) and was being driven with a fake number plate.

The SHO said both suspects were betel nut smugglers and further investigation was under way.

Heavy vehicles claim lives of 2 women

Separately, traffic accidents in the metropolis also claimed the lives of two women, with two heavy vehicles drivers arrested, police officials said.

A woman was killed and her husband was injured when a bus hit a motorcycle near People’s Chowrangi on Saturday afternoon.

Jamshed Quarters SHO Mohammad Irfan Meo said the couple was riding the motorcycle when a bus, which was plying on a route from Lyari to Malir, hit them.

They sustained critical injuries and were taken to a hospital, where 25-year-old Saima was pronounced dead while her husband, 40-year-old Imran Ghaffar, was admitted for treatment.

The bus driver, identified as Lal Bux, was arrested and the vehicle was impounded.

In the second accident, a young woman was killed on the main Mauripur Road when a truck hit her.

Kalri SHO Majid Alvi said an unidentified woman in her mid-20s was crossing the road near People’s Football Stadium in Lyari when a loaded Mazda truck hit her.

She suffered critical injuries and was taken to Civil Hospital Karachi, where she was pronounced dead.

The truck driver, Ajiz Khan, was arrested and the heavy vehicle impounded by the police, said the SHO.

“The driver attempted to avoid the fallen pedestrian by applying brakes; however, despite these efforts, the mini truck ran over the pedestrian’s head, resulting in her death at the scene,” read a statement issued by Traffic District West Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muhammad Azam Jamali.

Over the past year, the city has witnessed a rise in traffic accidents, especially involving heavy vehicles such as dumper trucks and water tankers.

On Thursday, a motorcyclist was run over and killed by a fast-moving truck in the Quaidabad area, where a day earlier, a man was run over by a fast-moving water tanker.

On Tuesday, a 10-year-old boy and a labourer died in separate incidents due to being hit by trucks.

On Monday night, two young sisters were killed by an oil tanker approaching from behind, after the bike they were on slipped and caused them to fall on the road.