FRANKFURT: Tragedy struck a Pakistani family as 16-year-old Syed Hasan Aftab was killed in German city of Saarbrucken while trying to save the life of an Afghan youth during a brawl with local boys last week.
Media reports and Pakistani community in Saarbrucken stated that Hasan tried to rescue Aftab Khan, an Afghan national, from a group of local youth who were beating him up. But, the perpetrators thrashed Hasan as well and hit him on the head with stone, throwing him in a nearby river in semi-unconscious condition.
Witnesses informed the police about the incident who rushed to the scene and recovered Hasan from the river after extensive efforts of around 30 minutes. He was taken to a local hospital but could not survive.
The incident proved to be a double tragedy for Hasan’s family as his father had passed away just a few months back in Pakistan and the family was still mourning his death.
Saarbrücken police have taken an 18-year-old youth named Nicola G in custody but there are no details available about any of his companions reported by the local media or victim’s relatives.
Aftab Khan has mysteriously vanished from the scene as neither police mentioned anything about him nor his family is discussing his whereabouts or condition despite him being the key witness to the crime.
It was also reported that Aftab Khan and the attackers studied in the same school and the fight was actually a result of some drug related dispute.
Pakistan’s embassy in Berlin could not be reached for comments on the incident.
Published in Daily Times, April 30th 2018.