KARACHI, May 16: Police have picked up more than a dozen residents of Eidgah area on suspicion of their involvement in the death of three dacoits, who were set ablaze by a mob on Nishtar Road a couple of days ago.

The arrests were made in line with the directives of Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, who ordered a complete inquiry into the brutal incident, said a senior police officer.

“They (arrested suspects) all belonged to the same vicinity,” Dr Amir Sheikh, SP Saddar Town, told a press conference on Friday.

“An FIR (72/2008) has been registered by the Eidgah police against all the arrested suspects and further investigations were under way to determine their role in the incident.”

Three suspected bandits were ruthlessly beaten up by a mob before setting them on fire, raising serious questions over police performance as despite reaching the spot in time the police failed to promptly rescue the bandits.

Defending the police inaction, Dr Sheikh said that the charged mob was beyond the control of law-enforcers and their retaliation could have led to serious collateral damage. “As an officer I own the decision that the area police took on the spot. We could have fired into the air or used tear gas shells but the mob was so charged that such action could have had adverse consequences,” he observed.

The SP said that families of the arrested suspects staged a protest demonstration outside Eidgah police station but they dispersed following a brief scuffle between police and the demonstrators.

“The suspects have been booked under Sections 147, 148, 149, 353 and 316 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Now the court would decide their fate,” he said.

However, he said that police had been investigating the incident by acquiring past record of the robbers, killed in the incident.

“Police have already recovered looted cash, jewellery and other valuables from the spot. It is almost established that the three killed in the incident were robbers,” he added.