Teen shot dead during robbery in Karachi
Another tragic event has rocked Karachi’s people once again. When robbers fired at those who were trying to escape after a street crime, a 17-year-old boy who was named Muzaffar Iqbal was shot and killed early Monday morning in the Korangi area of the city. The killing of the teenager has created a sense of grief, anger, and a fresh concern regarding the deteriorating law and order situation in the city.
The Incident
The police and eyewitnesses say the event took place at about 5:45 a.m. when Muzaffar Iqbal was coming home having attended Fajr prayers at a local mosque in Korangi No. 51/2. Two men on a motorbike were suspected of being thieves as they were purportedly trying to steal a mobile phone belonging to one of the passersby on the same street. The robbers fired some shots into the sky as they ran off the scene to scare off witnesses. When Muzaffar was walking home (a few hundred meters away), one of the bullets hit him in the chest.
People who were passing by ran to assist him after they heard the shooting. He was rushed to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), where he was declared dead on his arrival. He was being taken to the hospital in critical condition, with one bullet shot through the heart. Nevertheless, he was unable to survive, said one of the hospital representatives.
Police Investigation
The police officials of the Korangi Industrial Area Station arrived at the scene of the crime shortly after the event. SSP (Korangi) Sajid Sadozai confirmed that preliminary inquiry shows that it was a robbery-gone-wrong. The attackers had been running away after they had tried to snatch someone. What the boy was not opposing was the robbery; he was at the wrong place and the wrong time, the SSP said.
On the scene, forensic investigators were able to retrieve three unfilled 9mm bullet cases. Videos of the surrounding stores and homes have been gathered using CCTV cameras, and the police officials state that they are tracking down the perpetrators using motorcycle registration numbers recorded in the partial video footage.
Nevertheless, even after numerous police raids and announcements of zero tolerance, local people state that things have gotten worse. Someone is robbed or shot every single day. And we are so scared that we can even take our kids to mosques or schools early in the day, said Farooq Ahmed, one of the locals and a neighbor of the victim.
A Good Life That Never Saw the Light of Day
Muzaffar Iqbal was a polite college student and had a strong religious inclination. According to friends and relatives, he was a very hardworking person who was also humble and attached to his family. His father, Iqbal Hussain, is a technician in a private company, whereas his mother is a housewife. Muzaffar was the firstborn of three kids.
Family members reported that he had an ambition to join the Pakistan Navy upon the completion of his studies. He had a desire to be of service to the country. His uncle wept as he said every day he got up early and prayed and studied. “He was an obedient son. We can not think he has gone–and why? A phone? A few rupees?”
The funeral prayers came later in the day at a local mosque in Korangi, where hundreds of relatives, neighbors, and students attended. There were high emotions with people seeking justice and greater efforts to tame the rampant street crime.
Escalating Karachi Street Crime
The event is the most recent in a disturbing pattern in Karachi, the biggest city and business centre in Pakistan. Based on the current statistical data that was generated by the Citizen-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), over 43,000 cases of street crime, such as mobile snatching, vehicle theft, and robbery, were recorded in the first eight months of 2025.
At least 53 individuals have been murdered during robbery resistance this year alone, yet unofficial estimates are even greater. The people lament that the majority of the perpetrators are never apprehended, and when they are arrested, they are usually released on bail within a few weeks.
Street crime has turned to be a nightmare. You may be mugged in broad daylight, at the traffic lights, or even at the doorstep of your house,” a shopkeeper at Korangi told me. Worse still, we got used to it until some event such as occurs and rattles us all over again.
Government Response and Police Response
After the murder of Muzaffar, Karachi Police Chief Imran Yaqoob Minhas ordered an immediate investigation and instructed all the concerned units to arrest the culprits within 72 hours. He also declared that he would deploy more patrol units in the early morning, when mosques and homes are likely to be attacked.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah was extremely sad with the incident and vowed to take stern measures against the perpetrators. This is an intolerable tragedy. He made a statement that we will not rest until those who murdered are brought to justice.
But the response of the population to official guarantees has been skeptical to a large extent. When it comes to Karachi, people say that they have heard the same promises a million times; however, the state of things still gets worse.
Publicity and Social Media, and Reactions
The assassination of Muzaffar Iqbal immediately hit social media, with such hashtags as #JusticeForMuzaffar and #StopStreetCrime trending on X (now Twitter). Thousands of people were condoling with the family and being frustrated with the authorities.
Such news we see every other day. Innocent lives are being sacrificed, yet the government and police are not doing anything. It is not a police action, it is helplessness, said one of the users. Another replied, “When even going to pray costs you your life, what is there to be safe in Karachi?
Civil society groups and student unions have also announced their intentions to hold peaceful protests that will require them to better policing, increased control of gun control, and responsibility over recurrent law enforcement failures.
Karachi Fear in Neighborhoods and Despair
The Korangi people talk of being in a state of perpetual fear. Most people have ceased to take their phones or wallets out of the house. Young boys are not allowed to visit the mosques or tuition centers independently because of their families. Shopkeepers in the area shut down businesses early in the night before being attacked. According to security experts, a set of factors has contributed to an increase in street crimes, such as economic hardship, unemployment, inflation, and the absence of police presence.
According to criminologist Dr. Asad Javed, crime is normalized when desperation is combined with impunity. Unless there are systemic changes, the tragedies are going to be observed.
The Need for Reform
The killing of Muzaffar has sparked back controversy on the policing model of Karachi. The opponents believe that reactive policing and occasional activities are not sufficient; instead, what is required is effective intelligence-led policing, enhanced prosecution, and prompt punishments of repeat offenders.
Leaders of the community have called on the government to enhance the interaction between the Sindh Police and the Rangers and the Safe City surveillance system, which will prevent such offences. The activists said that they had the technology, manpower, but lacked willpower.
A City in Mourning
When the family of Muzaffar Iqbal was grieved by the death of their favourite son, the whole city of Karachi was haunted by the fact that the tragedy may happen to any person, any place, and any time. His prayer mat, his school books, and his dreams that have not come to pass are now a pain in his neck of having become victims of the uncontrolled lawlessness of the city.
According to his lamenting father
He had gone home to pray and never returned. The readers should not be forced to bury their child due to some criminals going around. We demand justice, not only to Muzaffar, but to all the innocent lives on Karachi streets.
