Police say 110 suspects in Sialkot lynching arrested

LAHORE: Law enforcement agencies informed Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat on Friday that at least 110 suspects involved in the lynching of a Sri Lankan national in Sialkot have been arrested.

The police shared the figures while briefing the law minister about the Sialkot incident in a meeting held at the Civil Secretariat in Lahore.

The officials told the meeting that the law enforcement agency was identifying the suspects in the case with the help of the factory managers.

While the law minister urged the officials to identify the motive behind the lynching during the investigation, The officials told the meeting the workers found the Sri Lankan manager to be strict in his work ethics.

Read more: ‘Day of shame’ for Pakistan, says PM Imran Khan over lynching of Sri Lankan factory manager

Basharat also directed the administration to tighten the security of churches and foreign factory workers in and around Sialkot. Every Pakistani is strongly condemning the senseless killing of a citizen of a friendly country, he added.

The meeting was attended by chief secretary Punjab, inspector general (IG) Punjab Police, additional chief secretary Home, additional IG CTD, special branch and concerned officers. The deputy commissioner and district police officer attended the meeting virtually to give a briefing on the incident.

The incident that occurred Friday morning has been condemned by all politicians and government officials.

Prime Minister Imran Khan Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar have already condemned the incident, PM Imran had called it a “day of shame” for Pakistan.

“The horrific vigilante attack on factory in Sialkot and the burning alive of Sri Lankan manager is a day of shame for Pakistan,” said PM Imran Khan in a tweet.

Read more: Maulana Tahir Ashrafi ‘ashamed’ over Sialkot lynching

The premier assured the nation that he is “overseeing the investigations”.

Sri Lankan factory manager lynched by mob in Sialkot

Earlier today, Priyantha Kumara, a Sri Lankan national who was working as a manager at a private factory in Sialkot, was beaten to death and his body was later set on fire by a mob over alleged blasphemy.

As per the initial reports, the incident took place on the Wazirabad Road of Sialkot where most factories are located.

District Police Officer (DPO) Sialkot Omer Saeed Malik confirmed to Bol News that Kumara was a Sri Lankan national and living in Sialkot. He added that Kumara was severely beaten to death by the employees of the private factories and later his body was burnt by the mob.

Read more: Sri Lankan factory manager lynched by mob in Sialkot

“The investigation into the murder of the export manager who was a Sri Lankan national is underway and I cannot share the motive behind this murder with you as of yet because the investigation is in progress,” he said.

A police official, who spoke to Bol News on the condition of anonymity, said that apart from lynching the manager the workers had also vandalised the factory in which the Sri Lankan was working and also blocked the roads.