Six Sipah-e-Muhammad men among 11 terrorists arrested

The Transnational Terrorists Intelligence Group (TTIS) of the Sindh police’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Monday claimed to have arrested six members of the banned Sipah-e-Muhammad, including a police head constable, involved in sectarian killings in the city.

The arrested suspects were identified as Muhammad Haider, alias Choota, alias Bacha, Syed Mehtaab Hussain Naqvi, Gul Akbar, Head Constable Syed Haider Abbas Rizvi, alias Police Wala, Asif Raza, alias Khalid, and Kamran, alias Pathan. The names of the first three of them were included in the Red Book of the CTD.

TTIS chief Raja Umer Khattab said the arrested men were those who managed to escape earlier on March 29 when his team carried out a raid in Alla Bux Goth near Ahsanabad on a tip-off that terrorists associated with the banned Sipah-e-Muhammad and Tehrik-e-Jaferia were present there.

Upon seeing the police, the terrorists that day escaped under the cover of fire, which damaged an armoured personnel carrier (APC). They, however, left behind their valuables and other items. An FIR of the incident was lodged at the CTD police station.

Later, Khattab said, in the early hours of Monday, they received intelligence-based information regarding some movement of terrorists in the Old City area. Responding to the information, a TTIS team rushed to Business Recorder Road where they found the suspects to be travelling on motorcycles and a car.

Khattab explained that the TTIS personnel intercepted the suspects and after an exchange of fire, arrested them. All the arrested terrorists were associated with the banned Sipah-e-Muhammad, the officer said.

The CTD’s group also seized three Kalashnikov rifles, two 9mm pistols, a 30 bore pistol, a car, two motorcycles and hundreds of bullets from their possession.

During the investigations, it was revealed that the suspects were involved in target killings and they had been trained by a man of foreign origin who also provided them weapons, vehicles and funds. The target killers of the gang were paid Rs40,000 monthly and their associates who provided them the names of the targets were paid Rs20,000 every month.

According to CTD officials, the leaders of the gang were Muhammad Haider and Mehtaab Naqvi who received funds and names of their targets by another terrorist, Syed Waseem Ahsan Naqvi, alias Shahid, alias Kashif, whose name was also included in the Red Book and who presently was not in Pakistan.

The terrorists were active in Karachi since 2003 and they were involved in various sectarian killings which they committed after different intervals.

Khattab said according to initial investigations, the gang was found to be involved in the killings of over 50 persons in 31 killing incidents, including the attack on Maulana Aurangzeb Farooqi, in which multiple guards and policemen were killed and injured.

The gang was also responsible for the killings of Maulana Ahmed Bux Advocate, doctors, three activists of Sipah-e-Shahaba in Mobina Town, three brothers at a shop near Darul Uloom Korangi and a vendor associated with a police officer near Yousuf Plaza, Khattab said. Further investigations are under way.

Daesh men held

The District Malir police on Monday claimed to have arrested workers of the banned Daesh and their facilitators in the Gulshan-e-Maymar area.

District Malir Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Irfan Ali Bahadur said the police received intelligence-based information in the wee hours of Monday about the presence of members of the banned outfit in Gulshan-e-Maymar. Reacting to the information, they carried out a raid in Taiser Town and arrested five terrorists of Daesh who were later identified as Abdullah, alias Hamza, Waqar, Waseem, Naveed and Mudasir.

During the search of their hideout, the police found and seized hand grenades, weapons, ammunition and a laptop. SSP Bahadur said the arrested terrorists were associated with the banned Daesh and worked as recruiters for the organisation.

Commenting on the modus operandi of the accused, the SSP said they used social media apps to recruit youngsters for Daesh whom they brainwashed. The officer added that the police were also gathering their criminal record and investigating into terrorism activities that they had committed in the past. An FIR was lodged against them and further investigations are under way.