According to the district police officer (DPO) Sialkot the suspect, Sabur Butt, worked in the stitching unit of the factory. The DPO confirmed that Butt was involved in organizing the mob that lynched the unfortunate Sri Lankan national. The police officer added that the accused is currently remanded in police custody and further interrogation is being conducted.
In another connected development, Punjab Inspector General Police (IGP) said that eight more suspects have been arrested in connection with the Sialkot incident with the help of CCTV footage and mobile call data. He added that raids were being conducted to apprehend more culprits.
The IGP said among the arrested were those who had incited the crowd, those who had set fire to the body, and those who shot videos of the incident. He added that Zakir Salman, who had desecrated the body of Kumara, has also been arrested.
Earlier, on Friday a mob in Sialkot attacked and lynched a Sri Lankan factory manager, Priyantha Kumara, who had been working in Pakistan since 2012, and set his body on fire. The ill-fated man was accused of having committed blasphemy.
On Tuesday, a condolence gathering was held for Priyantha Kumara at Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in Islamabad, while addressing the ceremony the premier said that Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are misused to wrongfully accuse people of sacrilege and kill them in the name of religion, adding that such violence only happens in Pakistan.
The PM also awarded a certificate of appreciation to Malik Adnan, who had tried to save Priyantha Kumara from the mob that later lynched him and set his body on fire. While praising Adnan’s courage, the premier said that role models were needed in a country for the youth to follow and Adnan had set an example for others to follow.