CCTV footage has emerged showing three-year-old Ibrahim falling into an open manhole near NIPA Chowrangi in Karachi. The tragic incident occurred outside a departmental store on Sunday, and the child’s body was recovered on Monday.
The footage, obtained from the store’s cameras, shows Ibrahim walking out of the store and falling into the uncovered manhole located just five steps from the store’s staircase in the parking area.
The video captures the child walking toward the manhole before suddenly plunging into it. At the time of the accident, no protective cover or safety barrier was in place around the manhole.
Moments later, the child’s mother is seen running toward him and screaming for help, prompting bystanders to gather. A nearby man also alerted others to the situation.
Tanveer recovered toddler’s body
Tanveer narrated the entire situation. He said the area was crowded when people learned that a child had fallen into a manhole and could not be located.
He explained that the drainage channel flows in three directions. “I thought I should check the point where the water flow is stronger—maybe I’ll spot something. When I looked into the drain, I saw the child’s foot. I then climbed down and, with great difficulty, pulled him out.”
Tanveer added that while he was carrying the body, police officers stopped him and asked him to hand it over. “I told them no, I will give him to his parents.” Shortly after, the boy’s parents and media personnel arrived at the location.
Blame game
Political recriminations erupted almost immediately. In the Sindh Assembly, Jamaat-e-Islami MPA Muhammad Farooq Sattar lambasted Mayor Murtaza Wahab, demanding his resignation over the “collapse of civic services.”
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) MPA Taha Ahmed echoed the call, decrying unkept promises on infrastructure.
Opposition alliances—spanning PTI, MWM, GDA, and others—united in blaming the PPP-led provincial government for “state-engineered negligence.”
Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon conceded it was “criminal negligence,” offering condolences and vowing accountability.
Mayor Wahab, defending his administration, announced a full inquiry, the procurement of store CCTV footage, and directives to KWSC for citywide manhole inspections.
Government spokesperson Saadia Javed promised action against those responsible for the missing cover, revealed in documents to have been flagged as hazardous in October—weeks before the fatal fall.
