KARACHI: A girl was killed when she was caught in the crossfire between a citizen and fleeing robbers in Korangi on Monday evening, police said.

The death of the 10-year-old girl sparked protest from her family and area residents, who staged a sit-in on the main Korangi road, suspending vehicular traffic till late in the night.

A police officer said that three muggers riding a motorcycle snatched the cell phone and motorcycle of a citizen, identified as Wajihuddin, in the Korangi-4 area.

As the robbers were fleeing, the citizen took out his licensed 9mm pistol and opened fire on them. The robbers also returned fire, and a bullet hit a girl, identified as Arifa Irfan, 10, who was standing outside her home.

She was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival. She suffered a single bullet wound in the abdomen.

The officer said that a spent bullet casing recovered from the spot where the girl was shot was fired from a .30-bore pistol.

Following the incident, her relatives and area residents took the coffin to the main road and staged a sit-in, demanding arrest of the killers.

Both tracks of the road leading to Korangi No 5 were closed for vehicular traffic till late in the night.

The police diverted the traffic towards industrial area and other alternatives routes.

Meanwhile, a suspected street criminal was gunned down in an “encounter” at Sher Shah Bridge on Monday.

The police said that the shootout took place between the Shaheen Force and the robbers, and after an exchange of firing, the suspect, Bilal Noor, was gunned down.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2025