Swat incident: Police arrest 27 suspects involved in mob lynching

SWAT: KP Police and law enforcement agencies have arrested 27 suspects including two brothers involved in the Madyan incident in Swat where a mob killed a man accused of blasphemy.

Authorities have already begun an investigation to identify and conduct raids to arrest more members of the mob that set a man on fire on Thursday night after accusing him of burning pages of the Holy Qur’an.

The mob had also set the police station in the area ablaze and injured eight policemen, Regional Police Officer Mohammad Ali Gandapur said.

The local police have charged 27 suspects with killing one person and setting the police station on fire. As a result of the violence, 11 civilians and five policemen were injured, two motorcycles and five vehicles were set on fire.

KP Police formed a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident. The ten-member JIT comprises senior officers of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), Special Branch, and police and will be supervised by DIG Malakand.

Police have named approximately 2,000 individuals involved in the incident, and to help in the identification process, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) will analyze the cellular data.

The investigation report revealed that the local police requested reinforcements to control the unruly mob. The local Station House Officer (SHO) failed to shift the alleged accused to a safe place, worsening the situation.