KARACHI, June 17: A large number of people tried to storm into a police station in North Nazimabad to get hold of a man who was booked and arrested for allegedly desecrating the Quran on Sunday.

The Taimuria police arrested the man, Saleem, a resident of North Nazimabad’s Block N, and registered a case (FIR 308/2012) against him under Section 295-B (defiling, etc, of Holy Qura’an) of the Pakistan Penal Code on behalf of the state.

The police said the man, whom they described as a drug addict, was arrested on a complaint of people who had witnessed the alleged desecration in the apartment building where the suspect lived.

Following his arrest, a large number of people gathered outside the Taimuria police station and demanded that the police to hand over the suspect to them so that they could lynch him.

The mob tried to storm into the police station, but the law-enforcers fired into the air and hurled teargas shells to disperse the crowd.

Rangers were also called in to avert any further breakdown of law and order. Finally, the crowd dispersed.