KARACHI: Police on Monday claimed to have arrested a businessman, his driver and a guard for their alleged involvement in an assault on a motorcyclist in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) after a video of the incident went viral on social media.

The main suspect, identified as Salman Farooqi, said to be the chief executive officer of a private firm, was arrested from DHA and his vehicle was impounded, said DIG-South Syed Asad Raza.

Travelling in his jeep, suspect Farooqi had allegedly assaulted a motorcyclist — who was accompanied by his sister — on Khayaban-i-Ittehad road following a minor accident.

The DIG said that the victim motorcyclists had not approached the police by late Monday evening to lodge a formal complaint. He said efforts were under way to contact his family.

Some TV channels while identifying the victim as Sudheer and his sister as Kalpana said that they left their home in Ranchhor Lines for an undisclosed location.

However, the Gizri police registered a case against the suspect, his armed guard and driver on the complaint of an eyewitness, Mohammad Saleem, under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 342 (wrongful confinement), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506-B (threat to cause death or grievous hurt) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

The complainant told the police that he had gone to the Ittehad Commercial area for some business at around 8.35pm on Sunday when a minor accident occurred between a motorcyclist and a Land Cruiser.

He said that the prime suspect held the bike-rider hostage at gunpoint inside his vehicle, after which he beat him, used abusive language and threatened him as well. He added that when his sister pleaded for leniency, the suspect contemptuously pushed her away.

DIG Raza said the police were taking the matter “extremely seriously” and had launched an investigation.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2025