100 people arrested so far in connection with mob lynching in Pakistan’s Sialkot: Police
As many as 100 people have been arrested in
Sialkot after a mob of factory workers and others killed a Sri Lankan export
manager of a factory and burnt his body.
The police have formed ten teams to identify and arrest the
persons involving in the lynching of the Sri Lankan national.
Prime Minister Imran Khan says it was “a day of shame” for
the country and everyone involved would be arrested.
Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry has demanded “required action
to investigate and ensure justice” while Amnesty International has emphasized
an independent investigation into the incident saying the environment enabling
abuse must be rectified.
The Sri Lankan national was working as a senior manager at a
leading Sialkot factory that manufactures and exports sports products. The
factory is located at the Wazirabad Road.
Details of the incident began to emerge hours after graphic
lynching videos went viral on social media.
District Police Officer (DPO) Sialkot Umar Saeed Malik has
issued a statement giving the following sequence of the events.
- • At 11:30am, the police received information
about a brawl and torture of a worker in a factory located at the Wazirabad
Road. Ugoki Police Station SHO arrived at the scene by 11:50am and found that
some incensed people had set a person on fire. The police doused the flames.
- • After getting the report of the unfortunate incident, the DPO Sialkot and other police officials arrived at the scene and controlled the situation.
- • The police have registered an FIR No. 1412 under sections 431, 427, 149, 147, 297, 201, 302, and 7ATA at Ugoki Police station against unidentified people and have launched an investigation.
- • At least ten investigation teams have been formed under the DPO and they are carrying out raids to arrest the accused who are being identified from the [viral] videos
- • Punjab Government Spokesman Hasaan Khawar told journalists that over 50 people have been arrested and more were being identified through CCTV footages.
Punjab police later said the number of arrests had increased
to over 100.
The police tweeted two photos of an accused, named Farhan Idrees,
who earlier appeared on one of the viral videos and supported the violence
against the Sri Lankan national. One of the photo tweeted by the police shows
him behind bars while the other is from the viral video.
The tweet said Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) was
overseeing the investigation and and raids were being carried out to arrest
other suspects.
Hasaan Khawar earlier said that action will be taken against
each and every individual involved in the attack. “We have begun an impartial
investigation and justice will be served in this incident,” he said.
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