Pakistani police arrest restaurant staff for refusing to serve free sandwiches

A group of police officers in Pakistan became enraged when a fast food restaurant refused to hand out free burgers, suspending all 19 employees of the branch.

Workers at the restaurant of the popular fast food chain "Johnny & Jugno" in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore were held for seven hours overnight, leaving behind unattended kitchens and hungry customers.

"This isn't the first time something like this has happened with our kitchen teams at our restaurant, but we want to make sure it's the last," the fast-food chain said in a statement posted on social media.

The trouble started when staff at the restaurant refused a "request from a special, high-ranking guest".

Staff at the restaurant told AFP that most of those arrested were young men, many of whom were university students.

Inam Ghani, a senior official in the Punjab state police, to which Lahore is affiliated, wrote on Twitter that following the protests following this incident, nine police officers involved were arrested on Sunday.

"No one should take the law themselves," Ghani said.

There are many suspicions about the involvement of members of the Pakistani police in corruption cases and their demand for bribes from local companies.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan called for Punjab police reform, saying politicians had appointed "close friends" to control police stations.