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LAHORE:
The investigations of an incident of endangering the life of a woman in Ichhra Bazaar over objections regarding her dress design have been transferred to the Organised Crime Unit (OCU) of the police.
Since a mob was involved in the incident that took place on February 24, initial investigations have suggested the involvement of 321 unidentified people and seven nominated persons in the case.
According to officials, the police have collected 34 video clips of the incident from various sources. The investigations will also involve geo-fencing to confirm the presence of the suspects at the scene. It is going to be a hectic job as thousands of phone numbers active at the time of the incident are to be analysed.
Since it has turned into a huge case that may involve dozens of raids, screening of evidence and manhunt, the Kahna OCU will investigate the matter further and arrest the rest of the suspects.
Three of the suspects were arrested by joint teams of the police operations and investigations wings.
The officials said the police had started the process of marking the suspects using video clips and other evidence and sending them to the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) for identification.
After identification of the suspects through photometric analysis, the police will also try to establish their presence at the scene with geo-fencing to present it as evidence.
The arrested suspects were identified as Nadeem, Adil Ali and Altamash.
They had allegedly harassed the woman and tried to take her life by inciting the mob to violence.
The arrested men had gone into hiding after the incident and switched off their mobile phones.
They were traced through an intelligence-based operation.
Ichhra police had lodged the First Information Report (FIR) against dozens of miscreants who harassed the woman wearing a shirt with Arabic-script print.
The suspects turning into a charged mob had accused the woman of “blasphemy”, endangering her life, as was evident from mobile phone footage of the incident, which was also highlighted by international media.
However, timely action by the police was also lauded when the video clips showed Gulberg ASP Syeda Sheharbano Naqvi confronting the mob and rescuing the woman.
While the ASP was duly appreciated for showing courage and risking her own life to save the woman, some other officers also played an important part by engaging the charged mob for an hour and making the rescue operation successful.
The sources said Ichhra SHO Mohammad Bilal Arbi and Model Town SP Operations Irtaza Komail were the first to reach the spot and facilitate the woman’s rescue when the mob chanting slogans was advancing towards her.
Following an emergency call, a patrolling officer, ASI Sajid, had rushed to the scene where the mob had besieged a shop wherein the woman had taken shelter, fearing lynching.
The SHO had also reached the spot at around 1:30pm and immediately put the police personnel on high alert.
According to media reports, he had spotted a man carrying a loaded weapon trying to reach the woman. The SHO and his team overpowered the suspect, disarmed him and unloaded the weapon.
The police personnel led by the SHO formed a multi-layered shield between the mob and the woman. SHO Bilal Arbi then informed the SP concerned of the situation, who reached the spot along with additional force.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 21st, 2024.
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