Newlywed, 18, shot dead in Karachi; husband critically injured

A young newlywed couple's joy turned to tragedy in Karachi's Gulshan-i-Hadeed area when armed assailants fatally shot the 18-year-old bride and critically injured her husband. The attack occurred as the couple was returning to the city after appearing before a court in Thatta district.

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As they were returning on a motorcycle, armed assailants travelling in a car opened indiscriminate fire on them, killing the woman.

Police reported that the woman's family had filed a habeas corpus application in a Thatta court. At the court hearing, the bride reportedly stated she married her husband of her own free will. However, as they traveled back to Karachi on a motorcycle with a relative, assailants in a car opened fire indiscriminately.

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The couple appeared before the court, where the woman recorded her statement saying they had married of their own free will.

The bride died at the scene, while her husband and the relative sustained serious injuries. The groom's father told reporters that his son and daughter-in-law married three months prior, and her parents subsequently filed a kidnapping case. He claimed the court had ordered police protection for the couple, but they were dropped off in Karachi, with authorities stating it was outside their jurisdiction. The groom's father alleged the bride's father was involved in the attack.

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However, he said, the police dropped them off in Gulshan-i-Hadeed, saying the area fell under the jurisdiction of Karachi police.