Man accused of desecrating Koran 'burned alive'

A man accused of desecrating the Koran was burned alive by a mob at a Pakistani police station, Reuters reported, citing police.

The unnamed man was a traveller who spent Thursday night at a mosque in Seeta, in the southern Sindh province, local imam Maulvi Memon said.

He claimed the charred remains of the Koran were found there the next morning, adding, "He was alone in the mosque during the night. There was no one else there to do this terrible thing".

The suspect was beaten and then handed over to the police. A few hours later, around 200 people stormed the police station, dragged the man out and set him on fire, police superintendent Usman Ghani said.

Ghani said around 30 people have been arrested over his murder and seven police officers were detained for negligence.

The incident is the latest violence over the country's controversial blasphemy laws. At least 53 people have been killed in Pakistan since 1990 after being accused of blasphemy, according to the Center for Research and Security Studies.