A mob attacked a police station in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on Monday night allegedly attempting to lynch a man detained on a charge of blasphemy.

Senior police officers told Dawn that dozens of baton and iron rod wielding villagers attacked the Golra police station, asking the police for the custody of the suspect detained for investigation into a complaint lodged against him.

Acting on the complaint when law enforcers brought the suspect to the police station, a large number of people gathered at its gate that the personnel had locked to keep the angry villagers outside. However, they managed to enter the police station after overpowering the guards and ransacked it.

The policemen tried to protect themselves as well as the suspect by locking themselves up in the lock-up and other rooms.

Police reinforcement, including personnel of counterterrorism department, anti-terrorist squad and anti-riot unit reached the spot and rescued the staff after lobbying tear gas shells and baton charging the mob.

The main suspect has been shifted to an undisclosed location under strict security, Dawn reported.

The police cordoned off the locality and various police teams were patrolling the area. All routes leading to the police station were sealed.

(SAM)