Theft Suspect: Rescued from mob justice, sent to jail

GUJRANWALA: A drug addict rescued on Friday by Satellite Town police from a crowd beating him after tying him to an electricity pole for allegedly stealing an iron rod from a construction site, was identified as Adeel alias Heera and sent to district jail for two weeks on orders of a judicial magistrate on Saturday. Complainant Azeem Butt stated in the FIR under Section 379 of the Pakistan Penal Code that the man was caught fleeing from the building on Kashmir Road after a passer by saw him stealing the rod and raised an alarm. The suspect denied stealing during questioning at the police station. He said he had heard some people shouting ‘thief, thief’ while he was sitting near the building. Some minutes later, he said, he saw a man running past him and ran after the man. Satellite Town Station House Officer Ansar Mughal said the suspect had been severely beaten up and his hair cut by people who caught him. When asked if the police would take action against these men, the SHO declined comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2012.