Machar Colony residents term lynching shameful

Say police picked up people and later released those who greased their palms

KARACHI:

Dozens of women and children gathered outside Illahi Masjid in Machar Colony where two telecom employees were lynched by the mob on Friday.

The area residents who seemed traumatised and afraid of police raids arranged Quran Khwani and dua for Aiman Saeed and Ishaq Panwhar.

They also carried banners with slogans inscribed with, “All residents in the area are ashamed of the incident.” “It was a terrible incident and unfortunately took place in our area,” commented Tahir Bengali.

“We all condemn and demand of the government to trace the real culprits involved in the horrible incident,” he added.

Fear prevails in the area and the majority of the men in the narrow streets around the mosque have either been detained by law enforcement agencies or have escaped due to fear of arrests as police cast a wide net to catch the real perpetrators of the brutal killings.

“Police have also held innocent people,” a lady told The Express Tribune.

“Police have detained my brother for the last two days and I cannot prove his innocence,” she said, adding that her brother was not present at the time of the incident.

A few young men present at the crime scene told The Express Tribune that even street women were afraid of joining the prayer session for the deceased.

“We have come here from other niegbhourhood to condemn the incident that has brought a curse to all this area,” commented Abdul Sattar.

Another man said that the area where the incident took place is also called Jungle Gali due to its notoriety as a hot spot for criminals and drug peddlers. “But it is not a no-go area,” he maintained.

The women said that around 100 men have been arrested and locked up in the Docks Police Station.

Those who could afford to pay the bribe were released immediately. “A few men involved in the lynching have been held while others have left the city even the country,” another man claimed.

He said that some of the families have also left for other areas in fear of increasing raids.

Illahi Masjid Imam Khalil Ahmed said in a video statement, “There was no announcement from the mosque before the lynching.”

He also claimed that he spoke to the employees before they were tortured to death by the mob. “I told them to come to my place (Hujra) but they did not listen to me,” he added.

He said that the false news was spread in the area that Imam held an announcement from the mosque to incite the residents to attack both men.

Docks police station SHO has stated that it was the mosque’s administrator who had alerted the police about the incident.