Police raided a madrassa in the Afghanistan Basti area of Sohrab Goth, Karachi on Monday and rescued 45 students chained in the basement, police said.
Officers also arrested two clerics at the Madrassa Zakarya in Karachi’s central Sohrab Goth area but the head of the seminary managed to escape, police official Mukhtiar Khaskheli told AFP.
“At least 18 of those chained are aged 20 while the rest are older,” Khaskheli said.
“The madrassa officials claim that they had chained those students because they were drug addicts and they wanted to rehabilitate them and make them better Muslims,” the police official said.
Khaskheli said a full scale investigation had been started which would also inquire about any possible links with militants.
“Every possibility including its involvement in militancy will be investigated upon,” said Sharfuddin Memon, a spokesman for the home department of Sindh.
Memon said the incident highlighted the brutality in society.
“It showed the brutalised aspect of our society and our police’s effort was aimed at eradicating that element,” he said.
Gudap Superintendent of Police (SP) Rao Nawaz said most of the imprisoned students were brought in from Peshawar.
A private TV channel showed footage of the madrassa and the chained students, who danced in jubilation as police started to release them.
The students said that they were tortured during the imprisonment.
45 chained students rescued from Karachi madrassa
