KARACHI: Two boys drowned in a ditch while playing cricket in a Manghopir locality while another boy drowned in a drain in Ittehad Town. However, the family of the latter victim claimed that he was murdered, officials said on Wednesday.

In the Manghopir incident, three boys had drowned in a ditch in Sultanabad while one of them was eventually rescued.

A police officer, who wished not to be named, told Dawn that the children were bathing in a water-filled ditch created due to lifting of sand and gravel in an area reportedly leased to a female lawmaker of the ruling party in Sindh.

Manghopir SHO Haji Sanaullah told Dawn that the children, residents of Sultanabad, were playing cricket in the area and later on some of them went to take bath in the ditch. Initially, one boy was drowned. As other boys tried to save him, they were also drowned.

In the meantime, other boys informed the area people who rushed to the spot and recovered three boys.

Another child drowns in Ittehad Town drain

They were taken to a nearby hospital, where two of them identified as Hazrat Khan, 13, and Huzaifa Khan, 12, were pronounced dead on arrival.

Third boy Khan Zaman was discharged after first aid.

The officer pointed out that there was at least seven to eight feet deep water in the ditch.

The SHO said the relatives termed it an accident and told the police that they did not want to pursue it legally.

Meanwhile, Karachi West SSP Omar Shahid Hamid told Dawn that such drowning incidents in Manghopir particularly in hot weather had become regrettably a “regular feature” on account of various reasons.

The SSP pointed out that there were “illegal water hydrants” and ponds were filled during rainy season or from water of Hub Canal, where such tragedies occurred when the people wanted to beat the heat by bathing there.

5-year-old boy drowns

Separately, a five-year old boy drowned in a drain under mysterious circumstances in Ittehad Town, police said.

They added that apparently Sabir Nazar was playing outside his home when he fell in a storm-water drain. His body was recovered by rescue workers.

Karachi West SSP Omar Shahid Hamid said that the family claimed that it was not an accident and accused a neighbour of allegedly killing their child and later on throwing his body in the drain.

The senior officer said that the police later on took the man into custody for interrogation.

The body of the boy was sent to the Civil Hospital Karachi to ascertain his exact cause of death.

Mr Hamid said that the investigators were waiting for the autopsy report of medico-legal officer to proceed legally in the case.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2018