Pakistan police arrest 19 employees of fast food restaurant for not giving free burgers

When a fast-food restaurant in Pakistan refused to hand over free burgers, a group of police officers became enraged and detained all 19 employees at the eatery.

On Saturday, workers at the popular Pakistani brand Johnny & Jugnu in Lahore's eastern metropolis were gathered up and detained for seven hours, leaving unattended kitchens and hungry diners. 

Johnny & Jugnu said in a statement on Facebook that a group of police officers had gone to the eatery two days before the incident and requested free burgers. 

The issue began when the restaurant's personnel declined a "request from a very high profile special guest."

The majority of individuals arrested, according to restaurant personnel, were young people, including numerous university students. 

“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 fast-food chain said in a statement published on social media.

Senior provincial police official Inam Ghani announced the suspensions on Twitter, saying: "No one is allowed to take the law into his own hands. Injustice will not be tolerated. All of them will be punished."

(With inputs from agencies)