RAWALPINDI: A milkman was shot dead during a day time robbery on Sunday while a boy, who was injured critically after being hit by a stray bullet during Basant, died in a hospital.

The first incident happened in Ratta Amral area. Ghulam Abbas, 43, was working in his shop when an unidentified man entered it and demanded money from him. When Abbas refused to hand over the cash, the gunman shot him.

Shortly after the incident, City Police Officer (CPO) Omer Saeed Malik along with forensic experts and other senior police officers reached the crime scene.

Meanwhile, a nine-year-old boy who was injured critically after being hit by a stray bullet during Basant on Friday died at the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital on Saturday.

Naimatullah Khan, 9, resident of Mehmoodabad was standing in the courtyard of his house when he received the bullet injury. Police said although, a first information report (FIR) was registered with Waris Khan police on the complaint of the boy’s father on Friday, it was converted into a murder case after the boy’s death.

A police spokesman said the CPO has constituted a team to trace the person responsible.

He said police have detained three suspects allegedly involved in celebratory firing from several neighbourhoods and evidence is being collected with the assistance of forensic experts.

As part of investigation, the spokesman said the police have been utilising all expertise to identify the person responsible.

More than 65 people were injured during kite flying and celebratory firing incidents as residents of the city celebrated Basant despite a ban imposed by the government on the activity.

A six-year-old boy lost his life after falling from the rooftop of his house, allegedly while flying a kite in Dhoke Kala Khan. However, the police had claimed that the boy was not flying a kite.

The spokesman said that a crackdown against kite flyers was in progress as 273 cases have been registered and 325 people arrested on various charges related to kite flying and celebratory firing.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2022