Police measures fall flat as minor killed, 32 hurt in New Year’s Eve firing

Despite the strict measures taken by the police in Karachi to thwart aerial firing at the end of New Year’s Eve, sounds of gunfire echoed across most areas of the city as soon as the clock struck midnight.

Incidents of bullets fired from unknown directions resulted in the death of a minor girl and injuries to 32 other people, including four women and as many children, two of them infants.

The wounded were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) and Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK).

Various video clips of aerial firing circulating on social media show the people involved in the crime as they recorded themselves or allowed themselves to be recorded while committing the offence.

Police took prompt action and arrested 91 aerial firing suspects in different parts of Sindh, including 77 in Karachi alone, while their weapons were also seized. Six more people were arrested for hooliganism.

This unfortunate situation highlights the challenge of curbing the tradition of aerial firing for celebrating different events despite the efforts of the authorities to enforce strict measures against such crimes.

Despite the repeated announcements about strict measures being in place to thwart aerial firing to celebrate the new year, guns went off in most localities of the city.

Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said that 33 people were brought injured to the city’s main hospitals: 15 to the JPMC, 11 to ASH and seven to the CHK.

She said that a three-year-old girl admitted at the JPMC succumbed to her injuries during treatment. The child was identified as Sania, daughter of Muzammil. She was seriously wounded after a stray bullet hit her inside her home in Sector 32B of Korangi No. 1.

Complying with Sindh police chief IGP Riffat Mukhtar Raja’s orders, police conducted prompt actions and arrested 91 suspects, registering a total of 85 cases against them.

The arrested men were found in possession of 57 pistols; seven rifles; four repeaters; three submachine guns, including two MP5s; one shotgun; 489 rounds; 12 blank rounds and firecrackers.

The breakdown of arrests made and cases registered in Karachi is as follows: 13 arrests and 13 cases in District South, 32 arrests and 26 cases in District East, and 32 arrests and 34 cases in District West.

As for other parts of the province, four arrests were made and four cases registered in Hyderabad, three arrests and three cases in Shaheed Benazirabad, two arrests and two cases in Mirpurkhas, and five arrests and three cases in Larkana.

Besides the above-mentioned arrests, 16 other people were taken into custody in the early hours of the new year. The overall law and order situation remained under control due to the comprehensive and effective security and traffic measures of the Sindh police.

Traffic on roads and highways continued to move smoothly, while traffic congestion was reduced to a significant extent. People celebrated New Year’s events with great enthusiasm, and no report of any unpleasant incident was received from any area.

District East police chief SSP Irfan Bahadur said his subordinates had also arrested suspects involved in aerial firing in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, the Tipu Sultan locality, PIB Colony, the Aziz Bhatti area, the Sharea Faisal locality, Soldier Bazaar, Baloch Colony and Ferozabad.

SSP Bahadur said the suspects were found to be in possession of various types of weapons and ammunition. He said that legal actions, including the filing of cases under the Arms Act and under the section of attempted murder, were taken against them.

In Karachi the first case of the new year was registered at the Khawaja Ajmair Nagri police station against two persons for aerial firing. Besides arresting them, police also seized their weapons.

The Karachi police, under the leadership of city police chief Addl IGP Khadim Hussain Rind, took action against the people using their firearms to welcome the new year.

Karachi police spokesman Abrar Hussain Baloch said that 85 cases were registered in the city, with as many arrests, along with the recovery of weapons from the suspects.

Baloch said that compared to the start of 2023, a decrease in injuries due to aerial firing was observed at the start of 2024. He said that not only were charges filed against those involved in aerial firing but arrests were also made based on the video clips the police received.

Addl IGP Rind personally monitored the security situation at various locations in the city until the early hours of Monday. Police zone and district chiefs were also out on roads in their respective jurisdictions.

Extra personnel, including officers in plain clothes, were deployed for the safety of the city’s residents. The Karachi police chief extended his New Year’s wishes to the people, and expressed his determination to maintain peace and security in the city.

Hyderabad firing

On the eve of the New Year in Hyderabad, nine people sustained injuries from aerial firing and fireworks across different areas of the city.

Among the injured, 25-year-old Shahid suffered burns from fireworks, 26-year-old Faisal, son of Abdul Sattar Thibo, sustained a gunshot wound to the hand, and 27-year-old Shan Shah, resident of Islamabad Phatak, was hit by a bullet in the leg.

Fifteen-year-old Abdul Rahman from Latifabad was injured due to gunfire, and 30-year-old Aqeel Ahmed, a resident of Heerabad, suffered a stab wound to his hand.

A female passerby and 10-year-old Ali Gul, reportedly residing on Hali Road, were also brought to the Civil Hospital with injuries from a stab wound to the chest, where they are receiving medical aid. In Tandojam, another individual was injured by aerial firing and was transported to the hospital for treatment.

According to a statement from the spokesperson of SSP Hyderabad, Owais Shah, the city echoed with the sounds of firing for hours on New Year's night. Three individuals who fired in Pretabad, Pinyari, and Liaquat Colonies were subsequently arrested and booked for violating Section 144 imposed by the home ministry.