KARACHI, March 22: Two citizens were dragged and roughed up by the security guards of some US consulate officials and later detained for hours for slowing down their vehicle on Sharea Faisal and thus causing inconvenience to the movement of a convoy carrying the US officials.

According to reports, one Mirza Aslam Beg, an estate agent along with his friend was going on Sharea Faisal in his Nissan Patrol. He had to slow down the vehicle near Awami Markaz to attend to a call on his mobile. He did not know that the officials of the US consulate were behind him with a police escort. As the vehicle slowed down, the officials of the consulate shouted at the police, ordering them to arrest those sitting in the Nissan.

The police and the security guards, accompanying the US officials, dragged the two out of their vehicle and beat them severely on the road.

The two persistently asked about the crime for which they were being punished, but the police beat them on the orders of the US officials.

The US officials later forcibly took the two to the consulate where the two were detained for hours for questioning, sources said. They were later handed to the Crime Investigation Department (CID).

The officials of the US consulate could not be contacted for their version despite repeated attempts.

However, the CID police interrogated them and found that the two men were respected citizens and running their estate business in Clifton. It later transpired that it was a case of misunderstanding.

“We have interrogated them and found that they were innocent. They have been cleared and I have ordered the police to let them go”, City police chief Tariq Jamil told Dawn on phone.

Mr Jamil said the US officials had shown their suspicion over the two and the police interrogated them. Nothing has happened and the matter has been resolved, he added.