At least 20 people, including six members of a family, were tortured and killed at a shrine allegedly by its “mentally ill” custodian and his associates in Sargodha in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
Police said that the incident took place at the dargah (shrine) of Muhammad Ali Gujjar in a village in Sargodha district, some 200 km from Lahore, at around midnight yesterday.
“The custodian Abdul Waheed, who was apparently suffering from mental disease, used a dagger and a stick to kill his victims”, police added.
“It appeared that the caretakers of the dargah had first drugged the visitors, stripped them and then stabbed and clubbed 20 people, including three women, to death, he said.
“The motive behind the crime has not been ascertained yet but locals have said that from last two years the suspect used to visit the area for ‘spiritual sessions’ with the disciples”, said the official.
Police said, “We have taken five people, including the caretakers of the dargah — Waheed and Yousuf, into custody for interrogation; “Three persons, including two women, have been injured”, he added.
