FAISALABAD: Three shopkeepers were hacked to death when they were asleep outside their shops in Eden Garden area on Canal Road on the night between Friday and Saturday.

Police said Mushtaq, 47, an electrician who resided at Chak 197-GB, Ghulam Asghar, 55, a tea vendor hailing from Toba Tek Singh, and Mohammad Akram, 56, a grocer of Chak 208-RB, were sleeping outside their shops when unidentified people hacked them to death.

Police registered a case against the killers under section 148,149 and 302 of PPC on the complaint of Tahir Javed, brother of Mushtaq.

SSP (Operations) Irfanullah Khan said investigation had been launched and the police would look into the possibility of terrorism or enmity. He said the three shopkeepers were said to have long-standing friendship.

He said area people told the police that three suspects had been seen in the market prior to the incident. He said the dead bodies had been shifted to the morgue for autopsy.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2016