Three held after teenage girl killed by stray bullet during firing at wedding

Police arrested three suspects on Thursday after a 19-year-old girl was killed by a stray bullet fired during celebratory aerial firing at a wedding ceremony in the New Karachi’s Sector 11-D.

The incident occurred when Laiba, a student preparing for her first-year practical exams on the rooftop of her house, was struck in the head by a bullet fired from a wedding procession two houses away. The bullet fatally hit her in the head. The New Karachi police registered FIR No. 241/25 under sections 302, 109/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code. They also recovered multiple spent bullet casings from the scene.

The arrested suspects, identified as Junaid, son of Islam; Faizan, son of Ilyas; and Abdul Rehman, son of Asif, were accused of being involved in the aerial firing. The groom and other individuals linked to the incident fled the scene, and the police were conducting raids to arrest them. The arrested suspects had been handed over to the investigation police. The police also recovered one 9mm pistol, one 30-bore pistol, and a rifle from their possession.

The wedding procession, led by Ahmed Raza, was heading to Hyderabad when several individuals in the procession began firing into the air in celebration. Tragically, one of these bullets struck Laiba around 9:30pm on Wednesday night, causing her to collapse and die on the spot. The wedding party, unaware of the incident, continued their journey to Hyderabad.

Her family discovered her body around 12:30am when they went to call her for dinner. Doctors at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital confirmed that the bullet entered Laiba’s head from the front, causing fatal brain injuries. They estimated she had been dead for at least four hours before being brought to the hospital.

The police had completed the necessary legal formalities and handed over the body to the family. Further investigation is ongoing.