On Wednesday, 40 new suspects have been recognized during the investigation into the lynching of Sri Lankan factory manager Diyawadanage Don Nandasri Priyantha in Sialkot last week, Daily Times reported.
The police maintained that the suspects were identified with the help of different videos. They said that most of the newly identified suspects were outsiders, including residents of villages near the factory.
They further stated that several raids were carried out after details regarding the suspects surfaced.
“The newly identified suspects will be arrested soon,” the police said.
The Sialkot district police officer (DPO), meanwhile, revealed that a prime suspect named Saboor Butt had provoked the factory workers against Priyantha and gathered them for the attack.
A video shows Priyantha and Butt in the factory’s stitching hall which the deceased factory worker had visited right before being lynched.
The DPO said that Saboor Butt is currently in police custody on a physical remand and is being interrogated.
The role of other suspects in the incident is also being identified, he added.
Court remands 26 suspects to police custody
As of Monday, 26 suspects arrested in connection with the case were remanded to police custody.
The police requested an anti-terrorism court in Gujranwala to grant a 15-day remand of the suspects for interrogation, which the court accepted and ordered the investigation officer to present them on December 12.
So far, a total of 131 suspects have been arrested in connection with the Sialkot lynching case.
According to the Punjab police spokesperson, 26 suspects were found to have played a key role in the gruesome murder.
He had earlier said that CM Buzdar and the Punjab inspector-general of police are continuously monitoring the investigation and the process of identification of arrested suspects is continuing.
