IN BRIEF
- The girl and her family were visiting relatives when they were allegedly robbed at gunpoint.
- Mistaking their car for the suspects, police shot and killed the girl and seriously injured her father and brother.
A tragic incident unfolded in Pakistan, resulting in the death of a nine-year-old Australian girl and leaving two of her family members injured after an encounter with local police. The family was reportedly in Chakwal, a city in the Punjab province, to visit relatives when the unfortunate event occurred.
According to local reports, the family found themselves in a frightening situation on Wednesday night. They were in a rental car when they were accosted by two robbers on a motorcycle, one of whom was armed with a pistol. The robbers fled the scene upon being noticed by a police officer, prompting the family to also drive away in a bid to escape the danger.
As the situation escalated, additional police officers arrived at the scene. In a tragic misunderstanding, the police mistook the family’s car for that of the fleeing robbers. Believing they were pursuing criminals, they opened fire on the vehicle.
A police official explained to local media, “As the officers witnessed the vehicle being driven away immediately, they assumed it belonged to the robbers and indiscriminately fired upon it.”
“As the cops saw the vehicle being driven away immediately, they took it as belonging to the robbers and opened indiscriminate fire on the car,” a police official told local media.
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The family from the Perth suburb of Kewdale was rushed to hospital, where the girl was pronounced dead.
Her father and older brother were seriously injured, while her mother was unharmed.
The pair were transferred to Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawalpindi for surgery.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who was killed and to two Australians who were injured.
“We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,” a department spokesperson said in a statement.
Pakistani Association of Western Australia general secretary Asim Chaudhry said the incident had left the local community downcast.
“This news is very shocking, especially the death of the nine-year-old,” he told Nine News.
“They just came from the pilgrimage (to Mecca).”
A police investigation is underway.
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