LAHORE: Police have made an arrest after eight men were found hacked to death in and around Hachar village in Sheikhupura. The gruesome murders, perpetrated over a single hour in the early hours of Saturday, have shocked the local community.

The suspect, Faiz Rasool, is said to have been a teacher at a local private school. Police believe he attacked his victims using an axe and an iron rod. The suspect had reportedly been detained by police just days earlier after attempting to attack another citizen with an axe. That citizen had remained unhurt after onlookers intervened and overpowered Rasool. Police eventually released the suspect after his family pleaded that he suffered from mental illness.

A police report seen by Dawn states that the bodies of his eight victims were found inside different houses, along the roadside and in fields near Hachar village. The victims were identified as Dilawar (20), Asad Ali (25), Faisal (25), Akram (55), Tanvir (40), Shehroz (19), Umair (19) and Sarfraz (70).

Police said Dilawar and Asad Ali were murdered outside two separate filling stations; Faisal and Akram were found on their charpoys in a rice field; while Tanvir, Shehroz, Umair and Sarfraz were found hacked to death in the courtyards of their respective houses.

SHO suspended for failing to act against ‘mentally unstable’ suspect after his previous attempt to attack a man

A police constable noticed the suspect near a filling station, where the policeman had stopped to refuel his motorcycle.

The constable, Zafar Iqbal, said in his video statement that he saw the suspect in blood-stained clothes, armed with an axe and an iron rod, near the filling station after he had killed two victims.

The suspect fled the scene on a motorcycle, and the constable alerted the police before starting his chase. The constable pursued the suspect for four to five kilometres before nabbing him.

A heavy contingent of local police reached the spot and shifted the suspect to the Narang police station. The Narang police registered a murder case against the suspect on the complaint of Ikhlaq Ahmed, a filling station employee.

Sheikhupura District Police Officer (DPO) Faisal Mukhtar said the suspect had targeted people sleeping in the streets and in fields. He said the murders occurred between 2:00am and 3:00am when the people of the village were asleep.

Later on Saturday, the DPO suspended the Narang SHO for not taking action against the suspect when he tried to attack another citizen around three days ago.

Another police officer, on the condition of anonymity, told Dawn that the suspect had attempted to assault a man with an axe a few days ago, but had been overpowered by village locals. No one suffered any injury in that incident.

The source said the suspect had been detained by police after that incident but had been released on assurances provided by his family members. They had pleaded that the suspect was suffering from mental illness and had assured the police they would admit him to a facility for treatment.

Police said they would have the suspect psychiatrically examined as part of their investigation.

Punjab Inspector General of Police Faisal Shahkar has taken formal notice of the incident and sought a detailed report from RPO Sheikhupura.

He has issued directions to senior officers to keep close contact with the families of the deceased and ensure that justice is done on a priority basis.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2022