KARACHI: Eighteen more suspects have been identified as those who had allegedly lynched two telecom workers on suspicion of being child kidnappers in Machhar Colony.

On Oct 27, private cellular company’s engineer Ayman Javed and driver Ishaq Mahar were beaten to death. Police booked 200-250 men on charges of premeditated murder, violence, arson and terrorism.

On Tuesday, the investigating officer produced 18 suspects before the administrative judge of the antiterrorism courts to seek an extension in their physical remand in police custody for interrogation.

The IO Inspector, Nisar Soomro informed that the present suspects were recently taken into custody over their alleged involvement in the tragic incident.

He disclosed that during an identification parade held before a judicial magistrate two eyewitnesses — Head Constable Zahid Jamal and Constable Muhammad Ishaq — had rightly picked out the suspect as those involved in the lynching incident.

The judge extended their physical remand in police custody till Nov 14.

A case was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 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), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage to amount of one hundred rupees or (in case of agricultural produce) ten rupees) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with the Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Docks police station.

Students granted bail

A judicial magistrate has granted interim pre-arrest bail to four students, who are associated with the Progressive Youth Alliance, for staging a protest to seek student unions’ revival, transportation and other facilities at the educational institutes, outside the Karachi Press Club on Nov 2.

The magistrate directed Anand Parkash, Ameer Yaqoob, Anum Khan and Virsa Pirzado to furnish a surety of Rs5,000 each with direction to cooperate with police in the investigation.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2022