KARACHI: A young woman was shot dead while resisting an armed mugging attempt in the Defence Housing Authority on Saturday, officials said.

They added that 36-year-old Taskeen Asad was hit by a single bullet in the head which proved fatal and she died on the spot. The victim was a resident of the PECHS area.

“Two men on a motorbike intercepted Ms Asad near Khayaban-i-Muslim in DHA Phase-VI when she was driving,” said an official at the Darakhshan police station.

“The motorcyclists took out pistols and asked for her purse. After brief arguments a scuffle broke out between them during which one of the robbers fired a shot that hit her in the head.”

The bandits ran away with the looted items. The woman died on the spot and her body was later taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities.

The spokesman for the Karachi police said the city police chief “taking serious notice of the incident” had suspended and demoted Darakhshan police station SHO Inspector Asif Munawwar for failing to ensure the required level of security arrangements in his area.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2014