Woman falls to death while fleeing arrest in Karachi, say police
A woman — allegedly involved in selling narcotics — was killed after she jumped from the fourth floor of her apartment building in Karachi while trying to evade arrest, police said on Sunday.
Speaking to Dawn.com, Darakshan Police Station House Officer Shahid Taj said that his team had arrested an alleged drug peddler as part of the ongoing crackdown against narcotics.
During interrogation, the suspect said that the deceaded woman, 35, was his partner in the drug business. Consequently, the police team raided her flat in the Muslim Commercial Area to arrest her on Saturday night.
“The police knocked on her door several times, but she did not open it. Her parents, along with a few of her friends, came to her apartment to try and convince her, but she did not surrender,” Taj said.
An initial police report said that the suspect had jumped to her death from the balcony. Further probe, however, showed that the woman fell after a water pipe outside the balcony that she was holding onto broke.
The incident was categorised as an accident, not a suicide. Further investigations into the incident were underway, the police added.
She suffered critical injuries and was transported to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where she died during treatment.
Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said that the woman’s post-mortem was refused by her father, who took away the body without completing the legal formalities.
SHO Taj said that the deceased, who belonged to a well-to-do family, was not only a drug addict but also used to sell narcotics. “She was living alone at the flat after separation from her husband, with whom she had one daughter.”
He claimed that contrabands were also found in the flat.
Separately, according to police statements, three suspected robbers were shot dead in two separate encounters in the city early morning.
Kalri police claimed that the encounter took place on Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai Road where, after an exchange of firing, two suspects were killed.
Two pistols, two snatched cell phones and one motorcycle were recovered from their custody, the statement said.
The police said the exchange of firing took place during patrolling. The bodies were shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi for legal formalities.
In the second incident in Shah Latif Town, one suspect was gunned down, and another was injured, police said in a statement.
The police statement added that the suspect was shot dead and his accomplice was injured, while three passersby were injured.
The statement said that the police party was patrolling near Quaidabad when they asked two suspects riding a motorcycle to stop.
They accelerated and resorted to firing in their bid to flee.
As the police chased them, and in an ensuing exchange of firing, one suspect was killed while another was arrested, Malir Senior Superintendent of Police Kashif Abbasi said.
SSP Abbasi said that the suspects were looting citizens in the area, adding that the citizens were injured in the firing by the suspects.
He said that the condition of the three injured were out of danger.