Two men who were declared robbers and lynched in Karachi’s Orangi Town earlier this month have been found innocent in a police inquiry.

They and their third friend – who was severely wounded at the hands of a violent mob but survived – were returning from a wedding when they were chased and incepted by some people, the police investigation said.

The police have arrested at least three men for the deaths.

The dead were identified as Babar Farmoon and Nazir Gul and their injured friend was identified as Owais alias Sunny.

Babar was a father of five and lived in Orangi’s Sector 14-C. His widow has lost her mental balance, says the police report.

Nazir, who lived in Qaimkhani Colony in Baldia, was unmarried. Owais lived in the Millat-e-Islamia neighborhood in Orangi 13.

They worked at the same factory in Karachi’s SITE area.

Sub Inspector Rana Zulfiqar who carried out the investigation concluded that the three were returning to their homes after attending a wedding on the night between May 6 and 7. They were incepted by some people in Orangi Town Sector 14-C near Owais Pakwaan House after a chase. The area falls under the jurisdiction of Pakistan Bazaar Police Station.

They were traveling on two motorcycles when some young men grew suspicious about them because a man named Isthiaq had been killed in the area two days before the lynching, says Investigation Officer Zulfiqar.

The youngsters from the neighborhood chased the three friends on motorcycles and stopped them near Owair Pakwaan House. They were frisking them for weapons when other people arrived and started beating them, said Zulfiqar.

The mob lynched Babar and Nazir before the police arrived and took a severely wounded Owais into custody.

However, police did not find any weapon on the three men whom the mob continued to label as robbers. There was no criminal record against them either, the inquiry found later.

A viral video of the lynching helped the police to identify suspects involved in the lynching. They have arrested three men, Farrukh alias Amir, Javed, and Shahid, and are carrying out raids for other suspects.

Although the police investigation found that the men were lynched on false accusations, Owais alias Sunnary still faces a legal battle. When police initially responded to the incident on May 7, they found a stolen motorcycle near the site of the lynching and booked Owais for the theft under Section 381 in case No 23/158.

Farrukh, Javed, Shahid, and 12 other suspects have been booked under sections of intent to kill (302), attempt to murder (324), unlawful assembly (149), and rioting (147) in case No. 23/159.