Madyan mob lynching: Key suspects among 9 more arrested

MINGORA: The police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested another nine people, including three key suspects, in connection with the Madyan mob lynching incident.

District Police Officer Zahidullah said that the police had arrested another nine people, including three main suspects identified as Yasir, Ghufran and Qari Inam-ur-Rahman.

He said the police had intensified efforts to arrest the other suspects who were behind the attack on the Madyan Police Station and had torched the vehicles. The DPO said the police would not spare the ones, who had taken law into their hands. He said the police were making efforts to identify the suspects involved in the Madyan mob lynching incident.

It may be recalled that an angry mob set a man on fire and torched the building of the Madyan Police Station in Swat recently. The mob had also set on fire vehicles and motorcycles parked at the police station.

The man, who was set on fire on the charges of blasphemy, belonged to Punjab. He was visiting the Swat valley and was staying at a hotel in Madyan where he was accused of disrespecting the Holy Quran.

He had been arrested and taken to the police station. However, the angry mob demanded the police to hand over the suspect. Upon the police refusal, the cops stormed the police station and seized the suspect. He was set on fire. The crowds had also torched the police station and the vehicles parked there. The police in Swat had registered two cases -- one against the blasphemy accused and the other against the people, who had torched the police station and the vehicles. Several people have so far been arrested in connection with the Madyan mob lynching incident.