A Pakistani police constable has been suspended and booked for the murder of a nine-year-old Australian girl who was fatally shot after the law enforcer opened fire on her family's car during an armed robbery in Punjab province, police said on Sunday, as the family of the deceased demanded justice.
Incident Details
Crime Control Department (CCD) personnel intervened during the robbery in Punjab's Chakwal district on the night of June 10, in which armed robbers had intercepted a family vehicle and held the passengers at gunpoint, according to a CCD statement. During the confrontation, an exchange of gunfire occurred after the suspects opened fire on the responding officer. In the ensuing chaos, the officer involved “mistakenly assessed that the suspects were attempting to flee in the victims' vehicle and discharged his weapon.” Hania Ahmed, 9, was killed at the spot, while her father, Adeel Ahmed, 39, and 10-year-old brother, Aafan Ahmed, suffered critical gunshot wounds and remain under treatment. Ahmed's mother, Sidra Khan, was unharmed, according to the police and relatives.
Police Action
“The officer was suspended from service and taken into custody on the same day. He was later arrested and has since been produced before a court of law and remanded to judicial custody,” the CCD said, adding the policeman's conduct represented a “grave deviation from our established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and the legal standards governing the use of force.” “An FIR was registered immediately upon the complaint of the victim's father. Forensic evidence, including the officer's weapon and spent cartridges, have been secured and processed.”
Outrage and Scrutiny
The incident has drawn public outrage and heightened scrutiny around the CCD, which was established in April last year to control organized crime in the province. Rights groups, including the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), have accused the department of carrying out extrajudicial killings often disguised as shootouts. CCD denies the allegations.
Victim's Account
In his statement to police, Adeel, the wounded father of the deceased girl, said the gunmen intercepted their vehicle near a CCD office and demanded their valuables. “My wife and I complied…My wife took off her jewelry and handed it over,” Ahmed was quoted as saying in the First Information Report (FIR). “While these individuals were robbing us of our jewelry at gunpoint, a shot was fired. Taking cover behind the car, the individuals started firing, and cross-firing also commenced from the front side.” Ahmed attempted to speed away to protect his children, but the vehicle was struck by a hail of bullets from behind, wounding him and both children, according to the FIR. The family was rushed to a nearby hospital, where the nine-year-old girl was pronounced dead.
Family Demands Justice
Mazhar Hussain, the grandfather of the deceased Australian Pakistani girl, said the family had recently returned from the annual Hajj pilgrimage and demanded justice for the killing after police confirmed the arrest of the constable and the deaths of two suspected robbers. “We are now being told that the robbers were killed in an encounter. We don't know about that, but what we know for certain is that it was police bullets that hit my family,” Hussain told Arab News, adding the family was returning home after a dinner with relatives when the shooting occurred. “We demand justice and exemplary action against the police officers involved.”
Investigation and Suspects
Police had initially registered a case of murder and armed robbery against unidentified suspects but later amended the case and arrested CCD Constable Shujaat Mughal on murder charges, following a preliminary investigation. CCD personnel mistook the family's vehicle for that of suspected criminals and opened fire, according to local police official Sajjad Hussain. “Mughal has been arrested and two robbers involved in a recent dacoity have been killed in a shootout,” the police official told Arab News. Police identified the deceased suspects as Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Faiyaz, residents of Punjab province who authorities said had past criminal records. The HRCP says it has documented at least 670 encounters resulting in 924 deaths between April 2025, when the CCD was formed, and December 2025.
