Karachi court acquits driver in drug case filed over 2024 accident that killed 2 in Karsaz

A Karachi court on Friday acquitted Natasha Danish, who was involved in the August 2024 Karsaz road accident, in a drug case against her, citing lack of evidence.

On Aug 19, 2024, a speeding Toyota Land Cruiser, driven by Danish, hit three motorcycles and another car on Karsaz Road, killing 60-year-old Imran Arif and his 22-year-old daughter Amna, as well as wounding three others.

The driver was arrested and booked on murder charges. Later, another case was lodged against her after medical reports confirmed that she was under the influence of methamphetamine (ice) at the time of driving.

In October 2024, Danish was acquitted in the murder case after a “compromise” pact between the parties.

On Friday, the judicial magistrate (East) heard the drug case against her, with Fawad Ali Khichi appearing as her counsel.

The court said the prosecution failed to prove the charges against the suspect.

Speaking to the media, Khichi said no traces of the narcotic methamphetamine (crystal meth) were found in Danish’s chemical examinations and blood tests.

He alleged that the police had tampered with the samples taken from Danish, adding that the investigating officer in the case had “hidden the blood test report”.

The case was registered under Section 11 (drinking liable to tazir) of the Prohibition (Enforcement of Hadd) Order (PEHO) of 1979.

In May 2025, a judicial magistrate had dismissed Danish’s acquittal plea in the drug case and set her indictment for June 21.

Murder, drug cases in Karsaz accident

Danish was arrested on the spot and booked on murder charges after the Karsaz Road accident, which killed the father and daughter duo.

Later, Sindh Inspector General (IG) of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon said Danish’s medical report — conducted upon the request of the victims’ counsel — showed she was under the influence of crystal meth while driving.

Consequently, the police registered a separate first information report (FIR) against the driver under Section 11 (drinking liable to tazir) of PEHO 1979.

On Sept 6, 2024, a sessions court had granted the suspect bail in the murder case after the victims’ family pardoned them “without any blood money”.

However, the same month, a judicial magistrate and a sessions court had separately rejected Danish’s bail pleas in the drug case.

Judicial Magistrate (East) Muhammad Raza Ansari had observed that her lawyer’s claim of the suspect’s blood and urine samples being manipulated was false. In the sessions court, state prosecutor Syed Khursheed Abbas Bukhari had opposed the bail application, arguing that the final charge sheet had yet to be submitted to the court.

Subsequently, through her lawyer, Danish had approached the SHC, where Justice Muhammad Karim Khan Agha approved her bail in the drug case after hearing arguments from both sides.

Two days before the SHC hearing, the Karachi police had filed a charge sheet against Danish before a judicial magistrate in the same case.

On Oct 31, 2024, a district and sessions court acquitted Danish in the murder case, with her lawyer saying that the court had “accepted the compromise application”.