KARACHI: A 12-year-old boy was killed and 16 others were injured in celebratory firing in Karachi’s Ajmer Nagri and other areas on New Year’s Eve, police said on Saturday.

The body of the minor has been handed over to the bereaved family after medico-legal formalities, they said. The child’s father Mohammad Shah, a tailor by profession, said he had only two children. “My child was snatched from me, who is responsible for his death?” he asked.

The police said no FIR has been registered as yet nor has been any arrest made. Despite police warnings, citizens resorted to aerial firing in various areas of the metropolis late Friday night and early Saturday morning. Azizabad, Ranchor Line, North Nazimabad, Korangi, Surjani, Saddar, Malir 15, and other areas of the city reverberated with aerial firing as the clock struck midnight. As a result of firing, 16 people including children sustained bullet wounds, rescue officials said. Earlier, the police warned that violators of the ban on aerial firing will be booked under murder charges.