17-year-old dies 'in custody' after Malir City Police raid house in Karachi

A 17-year-old boy died after allegedly being electrocuted during a police operation in Lasi Goth, with his family accusing Malir City Police of subjecting him to torture in custody. Police however maintained that he died after coming into contact with an electric wire while trying to flee.

The deceased, identified as Irshad, was an eighth-grade student. According to his family, Malir City Police raided a house in Lasi Goth and arrested the teenager.

The family said that Irshad was killed in police custody. Following his death, family members and local residents staged a protest at Jinnah Hospital. The family later took the body to the Karachi Press Club and staged another protest, demanding justice.

However, Malir City SHO Riaz Bhutto rejected the allegations of custodial torture and offered a different account of the incident. According to SHO Bhutto, police had raided the area to arrest a notorious drug dealer identified as Arshad. During the operation, Arshad's neighbour, Irshad, got panicked and started running away.

The SHO said Irshad attempted to escape by jumping across the roofs of houses. During the attempt, he became entangled in an electric wire and suffered an electric shock. Bhutto said that when police took Irshad into custody, he was unconscious. He was immediately taken to Jinnah Hospital, where doctors confirmed his death, he added.

The SHO denied that the teenager had died as a result of torture in police custody, saying Irshad's death was caused by electrocution while he was attempting to escape during the police operation.

The conflicting accounts have prompted protests by the deceased's family and residents, who are demanding an impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the teenager's death.