Police in North Karachi arrested seven suspects on Sunday in connection with the mob lynching of two alleged robbers near 4-K Chowrangi a day earlier.
The two alleged robbers, identified by police as Nadir Husain and Mohammed Imran, were lynched by an angry mob on Saturday evening while allegedly attempting to snatch valuables from a man near a petrol pump at 4-K Chowrangi.
Central Senior Superintendent of Police Maroof Usman told Dawn.com that the police had interrogated 21 people and made seven arrests.
Earlier, Khawaja Ajmer Nagri police registered a case on the state’s behalf against the mob under Sections 34 (common intention) and 302 (murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
A separate case was registered on the complaint of the alleged robbery attempt’s victim, Jibran, under Sections 34 (common intention), 392 (robbery) and 397 (robbery or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) of the PPC.
In the first information report (FIR), Jibran said that he was on his way to get his motorcycle repaired when two armed men on another motorcycle intercepted him near 4-K Chowrangi. He said that one of the suspects put a gun to his head, snatched his mobile phone and asked him to hand over his wallet while using abusive language.
The complainant said he asked the two to refrain from using abusive language, which angered the suspects and the two threw him into a nulla (drain).
The complainant said he raised a hue and cry, which caught the attention of passersby who then chased the fleeing suspects and helped him out of the drain.
Jibran said a mob caught the fleeing suspects near Zainab Market and gave them a severe beating. However, at that point, Jibran said he went home as his clothes were filthy due to being pushed into the drain.
He said that when he returned after half-an-hour, the mob had set both the suspects on fire.
Separately, a third FIR was registered on the state’s behalf for the recovery of four cell phones, one pistol and a motorbike from the crime scene. The FIR said the bike recovered from the custody of the lynched suspects had recently been stolen from Surjani Town.
