25 booked for ‘vandalising’ upscale restaurant on Tipu Sultan Road in Karachi

Published March 25, 2023
A view of the mob present outside the restaurant. — Photo by author
A view of the mob present outside the restaurant. — Photo by author

Karachi police on Saturday registered a case against 20 to 25 unidentified people for vandalising an upscale restaurant on Tipu Sultan Road a day earlier and injuring one of its employees.

A video had surfaced online yesterday in which a mob can be seen outside the restaurant named Angeethi. At one point, one of the men throws a chair into the glass facade of the establishment, causing it to shatter.

According to SSP East Zubair Nazeer Shaikh, the employees of the restaurant were playing cricket nearby when two passersby were hit by their ball, resulting in a scuffle. During the altercation, the restaurant employees had allegedly roughed up the passersby.

“They (passersby) went back and brought around 20-25 men armed with sticks who attacked the restaurant, vandalised it, and injured one employee before fleeing away,” he said.

SSP Shaikh said the restaurant administration did not want to pursue the case. “Therefore, the police have registered an FIR (first information report) on behalf of the state against two dozen persons over charges of riot,” he added.

According to the FIR, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Azam Mirza lodged a complaint with Ferozabad Police Station under Sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 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), 337-A (i) (Shajjah) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

It quoted complainant ASI Mirza as saying that he was patrolling in the area with his squad a little after midnight when they saw around 20-25 persons vandalising Angeethi restaurant, beating the waiters inside with sticks, and using abusive language.

The report said that upon seeing the police, the suspects escaped, but one of them dropped their Covid vaccine card through which he was identified as Faheem Nadeem.

SSP Sheikh said efforts were being made to arrest the suspects.

Opinion

Editorial

Tax unrest
Updated 14 Jul, 2025

Tax unrest

Govt has a very poor track record of staying the course of tough decisions that affect the ruling party’s core political base.
Surging numbers
14 Jul, 2025

Surging numbers

PAKISTAN is running out of time — and space. Our population, now over 240m, continues to grow at nearly 2pc a ...
Media matters
14 Jul, 2025

Media matters

PAKISTAN’s journalists are no strangers to living dangerously. The Freedom Network’s new report, Journalism in...
Hybrid worries
Updated 13 Jul, 2025

Hybrid worries

Once elected office is reduced to theatre, useful only for maintaining appearances, it becomes a stage for managing perceptions rather than exercising power.
Bitter taste
13 Jul, 2025

Bitter taste

THE government’s plan to import 350,000 tonnes of sugar, months after allowing the export of more than twice that...
No red lines
13 Jul, 2025

No red lines

THE US’ move to sanction Francesca Albanese, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied...