Torture details surface in mob lynching case

Police say victim was wrongly accused of killing a man during gunfight

Further grizzly details about the double murder incident that took place in the Pir Mehr Ali Shah Town area of Dhamial police station over a transaction dispute have come to light. The deceased, Zain Shah, was allegedly subjected to inhumane torture and public lynching until he died. The mob of torturers has also been accused of desecrating his corpse.

According to the Rawalpindi police and hospital sources, after a person named Siraj Mehsud died in a gunfight during an argument between two parties in on May 8, an angry mob tortured and lynched Zain Shah, accusing him of having killed Mehsud. However, police investigation has revealed that the bullet that hit Siraj was not fired by Zain Shah.

Police sources said that a video of the shooting has surfaced on social media in which the accused can also be seen torturing Zain Shah. They said that after the shooting, a mob of around 30 people stormed Zain Shah's house and subjected him to torture in front of his mother and other women in his house.

The investigation revealed that the victim was dragged with a noose around his neck. The post-mortem report also confirmed injuries from the body being dragged and signs of brutal torture including burn marks on the legs. According to police sources, the accused kidnapped Zain Shah on a motorcycle and later desecrated his body after he died.

Since the incident, the police have taken eight people into custody on charges of torture and murder. While the other main accused remain at large, raids are being conducted in different areas to arrest them.

The police have started consultations on including terrorism provisions in the case by including Section 11-WW of the Terrorism Act. At the same time, the police are collecting more evidence, including all the videos of the incident that are being uploaded to social media.