PESHAWAR: The Punjab Police on Monday claimed to have arrested seven more primary accused in connection with lynching of Sri Lankan citizen over blasphemy in Sialkot on 3 December.
The police identified the arrested persons as Sikandar, Rashid, Ahmed Shehzad, Zohaib, Muhammad Irshad, Subhan and Umair Ali. The seven accused have been arrested with the help of CCTV and mobile calls data, the police officials told media.
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A foreign manager of a Sialkot factory, Priyantha Diyawadanage, has been lynched for allegedly for removing religious posters from the factory walls by ‘the horrific vigilante mob’. According to the police, the accused Sikandar gathered people on the roof to torture the slain manager while the accused Ahmed Shehzad was spotted armed with a stick in the mob. According to police, the accused Zohaib was involved in planning to incite violence while Muhammad Irshad, Subhan and Umair Ali were also found in the mob.
According to the police so far 132 accused have been arrested which also include 26 prime accused. The Punjab Police spokesperson said that Chief Minister Usman Bazdar and Inspector General of Punjab police are monitoring the probe into the case.
According to the IG Punjab Police, the altercation of factory workers with the slain manager started at 10:02 am on Friday after Sri Lankan national removed some posters from the walls. There was a minor dispute between the factory manager and the employees. The major also apologized to the angry workers but they were not ready to calm down. The official said that by 11 am, he was killed by the mob. According to Rao Sardar Ali Khan, “Sri Lankan citizen was killed when police received a report.”
The Punjab government spokesman Hassan Khawar said, “If any officer was found negligent in the inquiry, strict action will be taken against him.” He said that the government is taking all possible steps to bring the culprits to justice. The IG Punjab said that as soon as the incident was reported, the police rushed to the spot and took control of the situation. He said that a case has been registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act and trial of the accused will start soon.