A 16-year-old boy, driving a white SUV, struck and killed two young women riding a scooter on Secretariat Chowk opposite the metro station in Islamabad on Monday night. According to the remand report, he struck the girls as he was recording a video for Snapchat.
The two victims, Samreen, aged 25, and Tabbinda, 27, worked part-time with an events management group at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts. Their scooter was destroyed on impact.
The suspect has been identified as Muhammad Abuzar Reki, son of Muhammad Asif, who is believed to hold an important position in the Islamabad High Court. The Express Tribune has retrieved a copy of the First Information Report, the remand report, and the accused’s ID card.
According to the remand report, he was driving at high speed when he hit the scooter, causing both women to fall with severe injuries. They later died from their wounds. After appearing in the Islamabad District Court on Tuesday, Judicial Magistrate Shaista Kundi approved a four-day physical remand of the accused and handed him over to the police. According to the remand report, the address given is one on Spinny Road, Quetta, Balochistan.
Abuzar told investigators he was making a video on Snapchat moments before the collision. He admitted to throwing his mobile phone away immediately after the accident, police said. Authorities are now working to recover the device to examine the video he was recording at the time of the crash.
The case has been complicated by questions about the suspect’s age and legal status. Abuzar does not possess a driver’s license, though his National Identity Card has been procured by the police detailing his age as 16. Police are reviewing CCTV footage from the accident site.
Investigators are also working to determine whether Abu Zar was alone at the time of the incident or had passengers in the vehicle.
