Pakistan: 124 arrested so far in connection with mob lynching of Sri Lankan executive in Sialkot

As many as 124 people have been arrested so far in Sialkot after a mob of factory workers and others lynched a Sri Lankan export manager of a factory and burnt his body.

According to Geo News, police on Saturday night arrested five more suspects in connection with the lynching of Sri Lankan factory manager Diyawadanage Don Nandasri Priyantha in Sialkot.

"So far, a total of 124 suspects, including 13 key suspects, have been arrested in the gruesome murder case. Police will produce all the arrested suspects before the court to seek their physical remand for interrogation in the killing," said police officials.

The incident took place in the Wazirabad Road area. Reportedly, the workers of private factories had attacked the Lankan export manager of a factory and burnt his body after killing him, Dawn newspaper reported. Several videos doing rounds on the internet showed scores of men gathered at the site. 

On Saturday, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa also expressed grief over the lynching of his country's citizen in Pakistan. He said that he was "shocked to see the brutal and fatal attack" on Priyantha Diyawadana by "extremist mobs in Pakistan". "My heart goes out to his wife and family," Rajapaksha said in a tweet.

Pakistan has registered thousands of blasphemy cases, which are mostly against religious minorities like Hindus, Christians, Shia and Ahmadiya Muslims from 1987 till today, according to several reports by rights groups. A large number of these blasphemy cases in Pakistan are still awaiting justice.

(ANI)

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