‘Robbers’ lynched by mob turn out to be innocent

Two die while third is in police custody in injured condition

KARACHI:

In a tragic turn of events, it turned out that the three men brutally lynched by an enraged mob earlier this month were actually innocent civilians.

The three victims, who were friends and worked together in a factory, were returning home from a wedding when they were subjected to torture by people who suspected them of being robbers.

Sadly, two of them lost their lives, while the third was taken into custody by police in an injured condition.

The horrifying incident took place near Owais Pakwan House in the 4C Area of Orangi Town, falling under the jurisdiction of Pakistan Bazaar police station on May 7.

The police apprehended three suspects involved in the violence during the course of their investigation, and efforts are underway to locate more suspects. A motorcycle was also recovered from the scene.

Initially, the police had registered a case against unknown individuals under Sections 147, 149, 324, and 302.

However, as the investigation progressed, it became evident that the alleged robbers who were subjected to "mob justice" were, in fact, innocent civilians.

While speaking to The Express Tribune, Sub-Inspector Rana Zulfiqar, the investigation officer of the case, identified the deceased as Babar, son of Farman, and Nazir, son of Naseeb Gul, while their injured friend goes by the name of Owais, also known as Sunni, son of Abdul Kareem.

On May 7, the three friends were on their way home, riding on two motorcycles, after attending a wedding ceremony.

Some youths in the neighbourhood became suspicious, possibly due to a recent incident in which a young man, named Ishtiaq Naveed, was killed by robbers in the same area.

The youth from the neighbourhood chased down the three friends, stopped them near Pakwan House in Sector 14C, and subjected them to a search.

More and more people joined the crowd and they began torturing the three merely on the basis of their suspicion. Consequently, two friends lost their lives on the spot, while the third was arrested by police in an injured condition.

Neither any weapon or stolen goods were found in the possession of the three, nor had they any previous criminal records.

The investigation officer revealed that Babar was a father of five children, and his wife has been traumatised since the incident. Nazir, the other victim, was unmarried.

A video clip of the mob lynching went viral on social media, which led to the arrest of three suspects: Farrukh, son of Nazir Ali; Javed, son of Azimullah; and Shahid, son of Ismail.

Efforts are underway to identify other men involved in the violence. Furthermore, a stolen motorcycle was recovered from the scene, leading to the registration of case under section 381A at Pakistan Bazaar police station.

Owais was formally arrested and handed over to the AVLC police in connection with the stolen motorcycle.