LAHORE: Enraged traders allegedly lynched three suspected robbers in retaliation for the killing of a trader over resistance in Gulgasht Colony, Multan, on Monday afternoon.

Four robbers barged into Ahmad Raza Jewellers in Gardezi Market in the afternoon and tried to snatch cash and jewellery. They opened fire when the jeweller and his staff put up resistance. Trader Aliyan (19) sustained a bullet wound and died on the spot.

Meanwhile, the nearby shopkeepers rushed to the spot after hearing the gunshots and tried to overpower the suspects who again opened fire, leaving two other shopkeepers Asif and Shoaib injured.

However, the traders and their employees managed to capture the four robbers. They tied their hands at their backs and subjected them to severe torture through kicks, fists and clubs. Three robbers died on the spot while the fourth was rescued by police.

The injured robber and two traders were shifted to Nishtar Hospital for treatment where they were said to be stable.

Police also shifted the bodies of the robbers to the morgue for autopsy. The deceased were identified as Bilal, Liaqat and Ehsan and the injured as Tanvir Abbas.

The videos circulating on social media showed the mob beating the robbers lying unconscious on the road. Police could also be seen taking away a robber in a vehicle while the mob was trying to snatch him.

The traders were also seen commenting [in the videos] that they had succeeded in lynching three robbers while police had snatched the fourth one.

Meanwhile, traders of the Gulgasht Colony gathered on Bosan Road and launched a protest against the police for failing to maintain law and order in the city.

They said the robbers were continuing with their looting spree in the city in broad daylight and police seemed helpless.

The police record showed that the suspects were involved in several robbery cases registered against them in different police stations of the city.

Multan City Police Officer (CPO) Mansoor ul Haq Rana told Dawn that the mob had beaten the robbers to death and they were conducting the investigation.

He said three of the robbers had died when the police approached the scene and they managed to rescue the fourth one, who suffered injuries and was shifted to hospital for treatment.

To a question about rumours of killing robbers in an encounter, the CPO said the traders had overpowered the robbers and lynched three of them.

Replying to another query about registration of a case against the mob for taking law into their hands, he said the robbers had shot dead a salesman and injured two others and their reaction was in retaliation.

He said police would register the case of robbery and investigate the killing of the robbers by the crowd.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2023