KARACHI, Sept 24: Twenty-nine suspects were produced in courts on Monday in a number of cases pertaining to acts of violence during the rallies taken out in protest against an anti-Islam film made in the United States.

The police obtained the remand of 24 suspects while five others were remanded in judicial custody.

The suspects were detained for allegedly ransacking and setting banks, shops and police vans on fire, attacking policemen, looting and destroying public and private property during the Sept 21 rallies within the remit of the Civil Lines and the Jackson police stations.

The investigating officers produced the suspects before the anti-terrorism courts and sought their custody.

Judge Khalida Yasin of the ATC-II handed over the custody of 19 suspects to the police on physical remand till Oct 8. They were booked at the Jackson police station.

Judge Ghulam Mustafa Memon of the ATC-III remanded five suspects in police custody till Sept 26. They were booked for allegedly rioting near and around the PIDC traffic intersection.

The cases were registered against the suspects under Sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 324 (attempted murder), 353 (criminal assault to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage etc) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997.

Some of the suspects were also booked under Section 13-D of the Arms Ordinance for carrying unlicensed weapons.

Meanwhile, the police also produced another five suspects before an anti-terrorism court on Monday to obtain their remand.

However, the public prosecutor asked the investigating officer to produce them before the magistrate concerned on the grounds that they were allegedly booked for rioting and ransacking a wine shop and setting some of its cartons ablaze on Sept 21, but the suspects did not damage any building or vehicle by fire. Therefore, these offences did not fall within the domain of the ATA.

Later, the suspects were produced before a magistrate and he remanded them in jail custody. A case was registered against them at the Defence police station.