Pakistan: Boy in monster mask shot dead by security guard

Guard told police the 11-year-old boy had scared him

The guard told police the boy had startled him (file pic) (Getty Images)

A security guard shot dead an 11-year-old boy after being startled by his 'monster' mask, police have said.

Police in Pakistan's port city of Karachi say Ghulam Nabi told them he opened fire after the boy, Ali Hassan, sneaked up in an attempt to frighten him.

The boy was taken to nearby Jinnah hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Nabi was arrested following a complaint by the boy’s father, according to Saama TV, and was being kept in custody while further investigations were carried out.

Relatives of the deceased child staged a protest on Sunday evening calling for action against the guard.

There are thousands of security guards in Karachi, although many are not paid well and have inadequate training, according to the BBC.