Sialkot lynching: ATC approves 15-day physical remand of 18 suspects

Eighteen more suspects on Monday have been produced before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in a case pertaining to lynching a Sri Lankan citizen in Sialkot.

During the hearing, the court has handed over the suspects to police on 15-day physical remand.

On the other hand, police personnel have told that a total of 58 suspects involved in the mishap have been arrested so far while search for others is underway.

Earlier, the concerned authorities had forwarded an initial report on the incident to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and Chief Minister of Punjab (CM) Usman Buzdar.

The incident was reported to the police at 11:26 am. A sticker regarding religion was placed on a machine in factory which, the manager directed to remove in the wake of foreigners visit, the report stated.

Allegedly, the workers didnt act on the order due to which, the manager came forward and remove it by himself. The factory owners and administration fled the scene after lynching the Sri Lankan manager, the report mentioned.

 A mob in Sialkot tortured a Sri Lankan national to death and then burnt his body.

The incident occurred on Sialkot Wazirabad Road, where workers of private factories attacked the export manager of a factory and burnt his body over alleged blasphemy.

Police were sent to the area to bring the situation under control. Sialkot district police officer Umar Saeed Malik said the man was a Sri Lankan national.

"After successful talks with the angry group of protesters, traffic was resumed on the road," the police official said. 

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