Three people were arrested Monday afternoon in the town of Rabwah during a raid on the offices of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Pakistan.

The arrests were carried out by the Counter-Terrorism Department of Punjab Police, which is responsible for investigating terrorism and sectarian-related incidents. Three police vans with around 28 heavily armed officers forced their way into the Ahmadiyya community’s office, locally known as ‘Tehrik-e-Jadid’.

CTD officers slammed the workers present in the yard to the ground while another unit made its way up to the publishing office on the second floor of the building. Three Ahmadi workers were taken into custody from the publishing office. Witnesses say Police officers refused to produce any warrants and took away office equipment and personal belongings including computers, cell phones, and several books.

Another CTD unit entered the building’s security room and beat up the security manager, Rana Irfan, who was later admitted to Tahir Heart Hospital due to the severity of his injuries. Before leaving, the CTD personnel also disabled the CCTV system.

Ahmadis who identify themselves as Muslims are considered heretics by mainstream Muslims. Due to their beliefs, Ahmadis are fiercely persecuted in Pakistan, both by the state and extremist Muslims.