LAHORE: A group of police officers in Lahore flipped out when a takeaway joint refused to hand over free burgers, detaining all 19 staff at the branch.
Workers at the Johnny & Jugnu chain in Phase 6 of the Defense Housing Authority neighbourhood in Lahore were rounded up and held for seven hours overnight on Saturday, leaving behind unattended kitchens and hungry customers.
“This is not the first time something like this has happened with our kitchen teams at our restaurant, but we want to make sure this is the last,” the chain said in a statement shared on Facebook.
The beef started when staff at the restaurant refused a “request from a very high profile special guest”.
Restaurant staff told AFP that most of those arrested were young people, including many university students.
Following outcry among fans, nine police officers involved were suspended on Monday, Punjab police chief Inam Ghani said on Twitter.
لاہور – ایس ایچ او ڈیفنس سی کو نجی ریسٹورنٹ کے عملے کو حراست میں لینے کے واقعے پر آئی جی پنجاب کا نوٹس، ایس ایچ او حماد اختر ملوث عملہ سمیت معطل۔ قانون کوہاتھ میں لینےکی اجازت کسی کو نہیں، واقعہ میں ملوث تمام اہلکاروں کوسزا دی جائے گی۔ انعام غنی@InamGhani @OfficialDPRPP pic.twitter.com/k0PV3VLRCn
— Mansoor Azam Qazi (@MansoorAzamQazi) June 13, 2021
Ghani also directed the Lahore police chief to take strict departmental and legal action against the personnel involved in the incident without any delay, according to a police statement.
He further said that the “officers and personnel involved in illegal activities do not deserve any concession so no leniency should be given in taking action against those responsible after the inquiry”.
“No one is allowed to take the law into his own hands.”
Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for a reform of the Punjab police force, saying “cronies” had been appointed by politicians to control police stations.
