KARACHI: Three homeless siblings were killed and two others critically injured when a fast-moving car ran over a family sleeping on a footpath near Nagan Chowrangi in the small hours of Wednesday morning, police said.

The Shahrah-i-Noor Jehan police said two brothers and their sister were killed in the accident. The car driver managed to escape from the spot in injured condition, leaving behind his vehicle that was impounded by the police.

They said Bali Gopi Chand, 22, and Ashok Gopi Chand, 9, died on the spot. Later, Shri Ram Gopi, 15, died during treatment at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

The police said Sita Gopi, 14, and Lalay Gopi, 6, were admitted for treatment.

Central SSP Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqi said the police had registered a manslaughter case against the driver. “The FIR has been registered and police are working on the case,” said the SSP, adding that police would arrest the driver and whoever else was in the car.

The police have invoked sections 320 (qatl-i-khata by rash or negligent driving), 337-G (hurt by rash or negligent driving) and 279 (negligent driving as to endanger human life) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Area SHO Qamar Kiani said that the police had conducted raids at three places to nab the suspect but to no avail.

He said that the case was registered on the complaint of a relative of the victims, who informed the police that he lived in the slum area of Sohrab Goth and sold vegetables on pushcart. He was asleep in his home when at around 3am someone informed him about the death of his relatives in a car accident near Nagan Chowrangi.

Published in Dawn, February 29th, 2024