Traffic cop held for ‘killing driver in road accident’ remanded in police custody

A judicial magistrate on Thursday remanded a traffic police officer in police custody in a case pertaining to allegedly killing a Suzuki pick-up driver in a road accident. Shahid Aziz Hingoro was arrested and booked on charges of qatl-e-khata by rash or negligent driving after his speeding car rammed into a Suzuki pick-up in the Clifton area on the night of December 31, resulting in the death of 55-year-old driver Ayub Sethar.

Investigating officer Nadeem Babar produced the suspect before the judicial magistrate (South) and requested his 14-day remand in police custody for interrogation. He stated that the suspect's custody is needed for interrogation and completion of other legal formalities.

However, the magistrate handed over the suspect to the police on two-day physical remand with a direction to the IO to produce him in the court on the completion of the remand. An FIR has been lodged at the Clifton police station under sections 320 (punishment for qatl-e-khata by rash or negligent driving) and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on the complaint of the deceased's nephew Arbab Ali Sethar. The IO has also added Section 322 (manslaughter) of the PPC.

The complainant stated that his uncle Ayub Sethar, who used to earn a living by driving a private Suzuki pickup, had gone to work in his vehicle. At around 10:40pm, his vehicle was hit from behind by a car driven recklessly, negligently, and at high speed by Shahid Hingoro near the KPT underpass in the Clifton area, he added. As a result of the collision, he said the pick-up struck the footpath, leaving his uncle fatally injured. A video purportedly showing the traffic cop at the accident site went viral on social media, in which he appeared to be intoxicated.