Driver flees as enraged crowd sets vehicle ablaze following pedestrian’s death in Gulistan-e-Johar
KARACHI:
A pedestrian was killed in a road accident involving a speeding water tanker near Perfume Chowk in Gulistan-e-Johar on Saturday, triggering public outrage and violent protests.
According to police, the tanker ran over a man, leaving him critically injured. He was being rushed to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre when he succumbed to his injuries on the way. The victim was identified as 50-year-old Nasir, son of Allah Wasaaya. Nasir was a resident of Johar.
Eyewitnesses described the accident as horrific, with panic and chaos at the scene. An enraged crowd set the water tanker on fire, while the driver managed to save his live and escape from the scene. While some reports suggest the driver may have been assaulted by members of the public before escaping.
Upon receiving information, Police, including personnel from Sharae Faisal police station, reached the scene and brought the situation under control. Fire brigade teams from Gulistan-e-Johar fire station were also called in and managed to extinguish the blaze affecting the front portion of the tanker.
Station House Officer (SHO) Imtiaz Hussain said police are investigating the incident, gathering eyewitness accounts, and reviewing CCTV footage to determine the exact circumstances of the crash. The victim’s body has been shifted to the hospital.
Meanwhile, two women lost their lives and a man was injured in separate traffic accidents at Peoples Chowrangi and Mauripur Road, police said. The injured man is the husband of one of the deceased women.
According to details, a woman riding a motorcycle was killed and a man injured after being hit by a bus near Peoples Chowrangi in the Jamshed Quarters area. Both victims were shifted to Civil Hospital where the deceased woman was identified as 35-year-old Saima and the injured man as 40-year-old Imran. The couple were the residents of an area near Safoora Chowrangi. Authorities have taken the bus and its driver into custody.
In a separate incident, a 25-year-old female pedestrian was killed after being struck by a loading truck near Peoples Stadium on Mauripur Road in the Kalri area. Her body was also shifted to Civil Hospital.
Identity of the second deceased woman could not be immediately ascertained. The body was moved to the morgue for identification by relatives.
