Karachi: Police order inquiry into DHA brawl

KARACHI: Police have ordered an inquiry into a violent altercation between women at a residential building in Karachi’s Defence area after CCTV footage showing the confrontation and the alleged involvement of police personnel surfaced online.

The incident occurred around nine days ago at a building on Khayaban-e-Bukhari but came to wider attention after a video of the confrontation went viral on social media.

Earlier CCTV footage shows two women fighting in the presence of ‘uniformed’ police officers as one woman is seen allegedly attacking the other with an iron dumbbell.

Sources claim the woman seen using the dumbbell is related to a senior police officer. Police sources also alleged that she instructed someone to damage a CCTV camera at the building. The footage shows a man in plain clothes arriving with police personnel and allegedly using a Kalashnikov to damage the camera.

According to sources, the dispute began over the alleged parking of a vehicle in another resident’s designated space. The affected family, including a brother and sister who lived in the apartment with their mother, was allegedly subjected to violence during the confrontation.

Following the incident, the woman allegedly linked to the senior police officer and her relatives had a case registered against the siblings, who were subsequently arrested. The FIR also accused the woman and her brother of snatching gold jewellery.

New CCTV footage shows a black double-cabin vehicle at the scene as police officers take away a young man. Sources claim he was the injured woman’s brother and that police allegedly took him away by force.

The injured woman, identified as Noor-ul-Ain, later posted a video statement on social media describing the assault. She said she was bleeding from her nose and mouth, had been pulled by her hair and suffered an injury to her eye.

Sources said the affected family has since left the apartment and moved elsewhere. They also submitted an application to Darakshan police station regarding the incident.

The case has prompted questions over the conduct of the police personnel seen in the footage and the alleged influence of a senior officer’s relatives.

South Karachi Deputy Inspector General Asad Raza has ordered an inquiry, saying the matter would be investigated on merit. According to police sources, the South Investigation SP is conducting the inquiry. They said sections relating to theft and snatching have been removed from the case.

The conduct of the police personnel visible in the CCTV footage is also being examined as part of the investigation.