KARACHI, March 16: A judicial magistrate on Wednesday remanded 67 suspects, including office-bearers of the labour union of the Port Qasim Authority, in jail custody. The suspects were booked in three cases for allegedly attacking police, rioting, and damaging property.

The police produced the suspects before Malir judicial magistrate Naveed Ahmed Sheikh who sent them to prison on judicial remand in an attempted murder case and granted bail to the same set of suspects against the surety bond of Rs5,000 each in two other cases.

According to the prosecution, the suspects along with hundreds of workers staged a protest demonstration at the Port Qasim Authority on March 15 against its management in favour of their demands and they allegedly ransacked the offices, attacked the police and damaged the property and other installations. A case (FIR No53/11) was registered under Sections 324 (attempted murder), 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, and with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Bin Qasim police station.

The suspects were also booked by the Bin Qasim police in two other cases (52/11 and 54/11) under Sections 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 421 (dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment of property to prevent distribution among creditors), 147, 148, 149 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code.