Pakistan shrine: 20 murdered at Sufi shrine in Punjab

[nitpicker]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39471017

Pakistan shrine: 20 murdered at Sufi shrine in Punjab

1 hour ago

From the section Asia

At least 20 people have been murdered and others wounded at a Sufi shrine near the city of Sargodha, in Pakistan's Punjab province, police say. Deputy police commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatta said the main suspect was the shrine's custodian, Abdul Waheed. The shrine was run by a Sufi saint, Muhammad Ali Gujjar, who was not there on the day of the murders.

One survivor told police Mr Waheed had called followers into his chamber one by one, and gave them poisoned food. He and his companions then killed them with a dagger and a stick. The alarm was raised by an injured woman at a nearby hospital who had managed to escape. Local police then rushed to the shrine and arrested Mr Waheed, along with several others believed to be his accomplices.

The motive is unclear, but one senior local police officer said the suspect appeared to be mentally unstable, or that the killings could be related to rivalry for control of the shrine.
(snip)

Pakistan's Geo TV said the victims were tortured before they were killed, and that their bodies were found unclothed. Three survivors managed to flee the scene of the crime. According to one, they attacked the suspects after some children witnessed the incident through a door.
(snip)