The trend of beating then torching bandits, which was witnessed twice in the last week (a third attempt was foiled by the police), was exploited by two robbers to their benefit on Sunday.

Two innocent citizens were saved by the local police on Sunday after bandits had looted them and then begun shouting that the two victims were the bandits. After the hue and cry by the robbers, the public present there thrashed the two victims badly and tried to torch them. However, they were fortunately rescued by the police.

Eyewitnesses, narrating the incident, said that, between 3 and 4 p.m., two persons riding a motorcycle collided with a Suzuki Hi-roof near the Landi Kotal roundabout, within the jurisdiction of the Gulberg Police Station.

The persons sitting inside the Hi-roof then came out and started beating them up and took from the two their cell-phones and wallets. When the bandits saw the public approaching, they started shouting that the motorcyclists were bandits and had tried to loot them. The passers-by and public present there started beating both the youngsters.

An eyewitness account says that a man actually brought a bottle of kerosene oil. In the meantime, a police mobile of the Mohafiz Force and a police mobile of the Gulberg police station, along with its SHO, Kush Mohammed, on routine checking, reached the spot. The mob present at the scene started to disperse. Meanwhile, the occupants of the Hi-roof fled. The injured victims were handed over to the police. They were identified as Faisal, son of Hamid, and Zakir Hussain.

Faisal, narrating the story, said that he was a resident of Liaquatabad and Zakir was his cousin. On Sunday, they were going to their friend’s house, and, when they crossed the Aisha Manzil roundabout moving towards Landi Kotal Chowrangi, a Hi-roof (CD-5178), in which three persons were sitting, dashed into their motorcycle. After beating them, the occupants of the van snatched their cell-phones and wallet.

Faisal maintained that he and his cousin Zakir were working in a towel factory as labourers.

SHO Gulberg, Kush Mohammed, said that the injured were innocent and the registration number of the Hi-roof, when traced, was found to be phony. He added that they had collected some footage from a camera which was installed at the place and that soon the criminals would be identified.

SURJANI: Two bandits were thrashed by the public within the jurisdiction of the Surjani Town Police Station.

On Sunday, Mohammed Urs, a resident of Khuda Ki Basti, was returning from work from a garments factory, situated in Phase-I of Surjani Town, when the robbers targeted him and snatched his cellphone and cash. They were fleeing when Urs shouted. Another resident of the area, Nafees Ahmed Siddiki, an estate agent, then managed to shoot the bandits in their legs with his licensed pistol due to which both fell down and were caught by the public.

The bandits were identified as Saleem and Naem-ur-Rehman. The police recovered two TT pistols and looted property from their custody.