KARACHI: An eight-year-old boy and his seven-year-old sister were killed early on Saturday when a fast-moving car mounted the pavement on M.A. Jinnah Road, where they were asleep with their homeless parents, who were also seriously injured, police said.

They added the accident was the result of reckless driving by a man identified as Amir Memon, aka Salman, who lost control of the car when he was passing by the Radio Pakistan building.

“It was around 2am when the family of four was fast asleep on the footpath along the Radio Pakistan as per their routine,” said SP Saddar Salman Syed.

“The fast-moving 1,600cc car mounted the footpath and ran over all the four sleeping there. The accident left the two children identified as Mukesh and Kajal dead on the spot. Their parents, Fareed and Sajna, sustained serious injuries.”

The bodies and the injured were taken to the Civil Hospital Karachi, where the aggrieved parents learnt about the tragedy. They were stated to be out of danger but were still being treated at the health facility, he added.

“The police have seized the car and arrested the driver. The driver in his late 30s claimed that he had recently returned from Saudi Arabia after performing Haj,” said SP Syed. “He says that he was suffering from low blood pressure and some serious health issues and often went through the same phase. On Friday night when he was returning from his friends’ place his blood pressure went drastically low and he lost control of the car that led to the deadly accident.”

The Preedy police, however, had arrested him and booked him in an FIR registered under Section 320 (punishment for qatl-i-khata by rash or negligent driving) on a complaint of the father of the deceased children, he said, adding that the man would have to go through medical tests under a required procedure to prove his claim before the court.

‘Bandit’ killed

An armed bandit was killed in an ‘encounter’ with police in SITE on Saturday minutes after a botched robbery attempt he made with his two aides at an industrial unit, which was frustrated by a security guard at the facility, officials said.

They added three armed men after parking their motorbike outside Rasheed Sons Steel Mills tried to storm the industrial unit which drew resistance from the lone security deputed there.

“The sound of gunshots fired by the two sides attracted a police mobile patrolling in the area,” said an official at the SITE-A police station. “As the police reached the place, the bandits tried to run away while firing at the police van. The policemen retaliated and in the brief exchange of fire one of the bandits was killed while his two aides managed to flee.”

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2014