South DIG orders team to use all available resources to identify and apprehend those responsible for the incident
Rescue workers sift through debris using excavators after a massive fire at a Karachi shopping mall. Photo: AFP
The Karachi Police on Monday constituted a five-member special investigation team to probe the Gul Plaza tragedy and arrest those responsible for the incident.
According to a notification issued by South Deputy Inspector General of Police Syed Asad Raza, the special team will be headed by the city Superintendent of Police (SP) (investigation) and has been directed to “make all-out and diligent efforts to arrest the accused person(s) using all available resources”.
The notification said that the team includes Garden Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Kharadar Deputy SP (Investigation), Nabi Bux Police Station Officer, Garden Centralized Investigation Cell Officer (Investigation) and the investigating officer of the case.
The search operation in Karachi’s fire-hit Gul Plaza building is nearing completion and the structure will be sealed after a final inspection, South Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso said earlier in the day as the death toll rose to 73.
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Karachi Metropolitan Corporation staff began sealing work at the site, digging pits around the building to install iron shutters. Officials said the structure would also be surrounded by green plastic netting as part of the process.
Speaking to reporters, Khoso said the nine-day search operation would end after a final examination by an investigation team later today, after which the affected building would be sealed. He said the ground floor and first floor mezzanine of Gul Plaza had been completely emptied, while part of the building remained to be searched.
Khoso said 79 people are still missing. DNA samples have so far been collected from the families of 55 victims, while relatives of 13 people have been given until today to submit samples. Authorities will consider the allegations to be incorrect if the families do not come forward, he added. Khoso said the identification of 23 victims had been completed, including six identified on the first day, and noted that some families include several missing relatives.
Police filed a criminal complaint on Saturday over the fire, citing negligence and lack of safety measures. A first information report (FIR) was registered under sections 322, 337-H(I), 436 and 427 of the Pakistan Penal Code, according to police. The case was filed with the government as plaintiff and names unknown, with the investigation report yet to be completed.
The FIR states that gross negligence and recklessness were demonstrated at Gul Plaza, where no security measures were in place. Lights were turned off during the fire, creating difficulties for people inside the building, while several doors were found closed.
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Meanwhile, a technical survey team formed by the Sindh government, comprising experts from NED University, inspected Gul Plaza. The team examined the structure of the building, including its pillars, to assess its safety.
The team must submit a report to the Sindh government and district administration, detailing how long the building can remain standing, whether it requires immediate demolition or whether only certain parts are unsafe.
A technical team from Lahore also visited Gul Plaza on Sunday to carry out investigations as the rescue operation entered its eighth day. Officials from the police and district administration accompanied the investigation team, which includes forensic experts, during inspections of various locations in the square.
