A mob lynched a man in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Galiyat region for allegedly killing a young man over a car parking dispute, the state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Sunday.

According to local police, the incident took place in the Seer Gharbi area of Changla Gali police station’s jurisdiction.

“Imran Abbasi, a local youth, parked his car in a housing society’s parking lot and went home. When he returned the next day, an argument ensued with the watchman,” the report said, quoting the police.

“During the altercation, the watchman, identified as Khan Zaman, repeatedly stabbed Imran Abbasi, killing him on the spot and injuring his brother,” the police alleged.

As soon as the news of the alleged murder spread, a large number of residents gathered at the scene, setting five houses in the society on fire.

“Following the incident, police promptly arrived at the scene and arrested the suspect, who was hiding in the basement of a building. However, as soon as he was brought outside, the furious mob took control of the situation, beating the watchman to death with sticks and stones,” the police said.

Per the report, several police officers were also injured in the violence. “The watchman’s body was later shifted to Abbottabad Hospital for post-mortem examination,” the report said.

Contradictory details from the police emerged later on Sunday, however, as a first information report (FIR) — seen by Dawn.com — from Galyat police station claimed that the victim fell to his death after jumping out of a window to escape the mob.

Lynchings are common in Pakistan, with several incidents taking place over the last decade. Many people were lynched for alleged blasphemy, while mobs also killed suspects involved in street crimes.

In June 2024, a suspected robber acting alone was lynched by a mob in Karachi’s Ittehad Town. According to the police, the suspect, armed with a pistol, attempted to loot a citizen near Babu Chowk in Qaimkhani Colony.

The citizen put up resistance and was joined by others standing nearby, who got hold of the suspect. The mob beat him severely with blunt instruments, resulting in his death on the spot.

In May 2024, a mob lynched a suspected robber in Karachi’s Orangi Town while police saved his accomplice from being killed.

The same month, police rescued a Christian man from a mob, who wanted to lynch him, and attacked the homes of some other members of the minority community in Sargodha on allegations of desecration of the Holy Quran, according to the provincial police chief.

In 2023, furious workers of a garment factory in Sialkot tortured their Sri Lankan general manager to death over allegations of blasphemy and set the body on fire.

Additional reporting by Umar Bacha