Pakistan: Police round up 33 more suspects in Silakot lynching case

Islamabad: Police in the Pakistani city of Sialkot on Friday claimed that they have arrested 33 more suspects who are believed to have been involved in the lynching of 49-year-old Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Kumara in the city.

Kumara was the manager of a factory in Sialkot and was beaten to death on December 3 by a mob comprising hundreds of protesters, including the employees of his own factory who later burnt his body in the road. The brutal killing drew widespread condemnation from political circles and human rights bodies both in Pakistan and from around the world.

Police had registered a first information report (FIR) against 900 workers of Rajco Industries on the application of Uggoki Station House Officer Armaghan Maqt under sections 302, 297, 201, 427, 431, 157, 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code and 7 and 11WW of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Police said the 33 suspects will be presented in the anti-terrorism court Gujranwala on Friday, adding that the remand of 52 suspects had already been obtained from the court. So far nearly 85 suspects have been arrested in connection with the case, he added.