Karachi police have formally registered a case in the brutal mob lynching of Laeeq Ahmed near Saddar’s Hashoo Centre, booking 15 named individuals under sections of murder and the Anti-Terrorism Act. The FIR, filed by the victim’s cousin Naeem, also includes several unidentified suspects.

FIR details coordinated mob attack

The First Information Report (FIR) was lodged at Preedy Police Station two days after the incident, which took place on April 18. According to the FIR, Laeeq Ahmed was attacked by a large mob using batons, fists, kicks, and stones. He was critically injured and later died at Civil Hospital due to the severity of his wounds.

15 suspects named in case, more to be identified

Among those explicitly named in the FIR are Abdul Qadir Patel, Muhammad Saleem, Muhammad Nauman, Muhammad Irfan, Muhammad Shahid, Ghulam Akbar, Muhammad Shehbaz, Muhammad Mubeen, Inayat ur Rehman, Riaz Raza, Yasar Ikhtiyari, Ilyas Pardesi, Riaz Ahmed, another Inayat ur Rehman, and Hamza Ashrafi.

The complainant states that the suspects were not only involved in the assault but were also captured in videos circulating on social media, with a large crowd trailing the violence.

Victim was a court witness, had received threats

The FIR also reveals that Laeeq Ahmed was a witness in a legal case against some of the named suspects. A day before the lynching, during a court appearance on April 17, Laeeq had reportedly received death threats from the accused.

Case filed under anti-terrorism, murder provisions

The FIR includes serious charges under Sections of the Pakistan Penal Code related to murder, along with relevant sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), reflecting the premeditated and public nature of the attack.

Police silence on investigation progress

Despite repeated attempts, SP Investigation South Ali Hassan has not responded to queries regarding the investigation’s current status. Civil society and rights activists continue to demand swift arrests and prosecution of those responsible.

More developments are expected as police begin tracing both named and unidentified individuals seen in video evidence.