A 41-year-old man was murdered on Saturday by a group of men on allegations that he burned the Quran in a mosque in Khanewal City, Pakistan.
The Christian Post reported that Mushtaq Ahmed, a man reported to have mental illness, was killed by a mob of roughly 300 people. The mob was led by a group of 38 prime suspects who stoned Ahmed to death after tying him up and torturing him.
The mob used "bricks and iron rods" in Ahmed's torture, Voice of America reported.
According to reports, the custodian of a mosque in Jungle Derawala area complained to the police that Ahmed was desecrating the Quran. Three policemen then went to the mosque in time to find that an angry crowd has surrounded Ahmed.
Police Spokesman Chaudhry Imran said the three officers tried to take custody of Ahmed but the mob threw stones at them. Two of the officers were wounded and one was seriously injured. Reinforcements were then sent to the mosque but arrived in time the mob was already stoning Ahmed who was pleading his innocence before them.
Before the policemen could act, the mob have already killed Ahmed from stoning and hanged his lifeless body on a tree. Ahmed was laid to rest on Sunday after the police handed his body to his family. Hundreds of residents reportedly attended his funeral to offer him prayers at the mosque.
Tulamba Police Station Chief Munawar Gujjar told Pakistan Today that Ahmed had been suffering with mental illness for more than a decade. This, Gujjar said, caused him to go away from home, begging wherever he went.
"The ill-fated man has been mentally unstable for the last 15 years and according to his family often went missing from home for days begging and eating whatever he could find," Gujjar disclosed.
A village resident of Bara Chak told reporters that such was not the case with Ahmed before he had the mental illness.
"Before the mental illness, he was a decent football player and of good character," the village resident said.
The local police announced on Wednesday that they have already arrested all prime suspects on Ahmed's death. The police explained that it took four days before they were able arrest all due to the need to thoroughly investigate the role of each suspect in the crime.
"Five more suspects--who were identified through the footage--have been arrested. The number of the accused has reached 38. The police have so far rounded up 119 suspects and is conducting a probe into their role in the incident," a police officer said.
Reacting to the tragic news, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan assured that justice will be brought to Ahmed's death. Khan has already requested provincial authorities to submit to him a report regarding the action they have taken against the "perpetrators."
"We have zero tolerance for anyone taking the law into their own hands & mob lynchings will be dealt with full severity of the law. Have asked Punjab IG for report on action taken against perpetrators of the lynching in MIan Channu & against the police who failed in their duty." Khan tweeted on Sunday.
