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City in mourning: 11 arrests, 111 deaths in Karachi
Arrested men admit to abducting, torturing victims
SSP Central Asim Qaimkhani and SSP South Naeem Sheikh presented four men at a press conference. PHOTO: NNI
KARACHI:
Despite a complete strike in Karachi for the Yaum-e-Soag announced by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, violence continued in the city as police and Rangers claimed to have arrested 11 suspected target killers.
Six more people were killed on Tuesday, raising the total death toll to 111 from eight days of unabated violence in Karachi.
‘Target killers’ arrested
SSP Central Asim Qaimkhani and SSP South Naeem Sheikh presented four men at a press conference who, they said, were members of the ‘slaughtering squad’ of a criminal gang. They said that men had confessed to abducting and killing over a dozen people after sexually assaulting them. They also said that they are now looking for a prime suspect, who they believe is the chief of the ‘beheading squad’.
Qaimkhani and Sheikh said that the men were arrested late on Tuesday night after a police encounter in North Nazimabad. Police identified the suspects as Shahnawaz Baloch, Rafiq, Mustafa Baloch and Naeem Jan.
The suspects, police said, have also confessed to being involved in 13 cases of murder, attempt to murder and abduction. Police have recovered weapons and drugs from their possession.
According to SHO Anzar Alam, the men belong to Lyari’s Akram Baloch group, which is being run by Akram’s nephews Sameer and Afzal and is a rival of the now defunct Peoples Amn Committee.
“The men have admitted that they had killed members from rival gangs after kidnapping them from Lyari and surrounding areas,” Alam said. The men, he said, were wanted by Kalakot, Napier, Chakiwara and Risala police and are currently in custody of Kalakot police.
Alam said that in all 13 cases, the men abducted the victims, killed them and stuffed their slaughtered bodies into gunny bags. “Shahnawaz and Rafiq sexually abused the abductees, while Sameer beheaded them after injecting drugs into his body,” he said.
Other members of the gang kidnapped people and made videos while they were being tortured. These videos, Alam said, were found from the mobile phones of the arrested men. In another raid, alleged target killer Ejaz Chohto was arrested from Tipu Sultan Road under the jurisdiction of Baldia Police Station. SHO Haq Nawaz said the arrested accused is a political worker and was involved in nearly 50 cases of heinous crimes, including target killings.
Meanwhile, Saeedabad police also claimed that it had apprehended a target killer, identified as Abul Ghaffar, said to be affiliated with the MQM.
During interrogation, Ghaffar told police that he had kidnapped Yasir from a market in Saeedabad and handed the hostage over to Aziz alias CIA, Imran and Yusuf, who also belonged to the MQM. Half an hour later, they killed Yasir and dumped his body in Rang Gaar area of Saeedabad.
During separate raids in Gulberg and Ferozabad, five more suspected target killers were arrested, sources within Sindh Rangers confirmed. Four of the suspects were arrested from Gulberg but their identities could not be ascertained.
Another suspect was arrested on Tariq Road while trying to escape after attacking a man named Saadullah.
Violence
Meanwhile, there was no respite in the continuous killing spree in Karachi as three bodies were found from separate areas in the city while two more people were gunned down on Tuesday.
Two bodies were found separately within the jurisdiction of Pak Colony Police Station. Both bodies bore torture marks and bullet wounds in the head. Their hands and legs were tied with ropes.
A body stuffed in a gunny bag was found from Qasba Colony in Orangi Town. A note, saying ‘[do you] want peace or war?’, was found with the body, police said, adding that the man was strangled to death.
Two people, identified as Faisal and Bahadur Ali, were shot dead in separate incidents of target killing in Malir City and Shah Latif, respectively.
An activist of a Sindhi nationalist party Allah Jatoi was gunned down in Bilal Colony in Korangi. DSP Fakhrul Islam said Jatoi, associated with Sindh Dost Ittehad, was shot outside his home by armed men riding motorcycles.
(With additional reporting by Salman Siddiqui in Karachi)
Published in The Express Tribune, August 24th, 2011.
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Reader Comments (33)
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Checkout the actions of so called democratic party’s actions http://jang.com.pk/jang/aug2011-daily/23-08-2011/karachi/kar19.gif
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Mirza had been summoned to Islamabad after an exchange of words between him and Interior Minister Rehman Malik during a special cabinet meeting was reported. He ruled out that any such incident had occurred.
That he is a loud-mouth was amply demonstrated but he is now proving to be thrifty with truth too.
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if situation gets out of hand??
What is his definition of situation getting out of hand? The whole city dies?
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“Senior Sindh provincial minister Zulfiqar Mirza has said the constitution allows for calling the army in Karachi if the situation gets out of hand.”
REALLY? The entire city dead? As if this isn’t enough!Recommend
Forget all this. Karachi never going to get any better.
India was white washed in test series against England. So, lets go that forum and gloat over it while we can.
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It is Democracy or Demonstration of Democracy for KARACHI people?
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The situation is under control as long as the poor and faceless people keep on dying but the rich and big shots remain untouched.
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How did kidnapping, horrible torture/mutilation, and execution inside a burlap bag become part of Pakistan’s political culture? Somehow you have lost your moral compass.
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Democracy is the best revenge – now we know what they meant at that time !
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More than 100 persons died in 4 days and Govt allows to use all necessary actions to control the situation “sharam magar tum ko nahi aati”
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Ref: UJ
Khufyaa cameras are not that khufyaa if they can be spotted and destroyed
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Tthis is not Pakistan like . . . especially this is not the sophisticated metropolitan city Karachi . . .it has been taken over by a proxy war, funded and supported by the enemy of Pakistan. So, not only spies are among the killers but are they are the handlers of the mafias and gangsters. It is not a rocket science to figure that one out. That is why the Army has to jump in and clean Karachi and save it from this genocide. Any one who is against the Army’s intervention should be considered a partner in crime of this genocide.Recommend
We don’t need external enemies our politicians are enough…
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This is even gonna get uglier. Looks like there is no room for compromise. They all have adopted tit for tat policy.
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There is some secret hand working to turn Karachi as Capital of Afghanistan.
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I have been a great admirer of this newspaper and it is sad to see this report in a newspaper of such repute and standing. Why has the media started to equate Sindh only with some cities like Karachi and Hyderabad? True Karachi is the capital of Sindh and Hyderabad a major city. Sindh is not just these cities but much more. It is said ‘All markets, educational institutions and gas stations remained closed in Karachi and interior Sindh.’ ALL I ask? Some T.V. stations are reporting and showing that many cities including Larkana were functioning normally as were so many other cities. I hope the reporter in question is asked to get a new pair of glasses preferably ones that are not supplied to him by a political party or coloured.
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Those they are in the Govt. they are enemies of our beloved country, like zulfiqar mirza, sharjeel memon and other they are the part of Jiay sindh movement. Mohajirs and Pakhtoons has no differences. They are not enemies to each other. Jamate Islami, Al Qayeda and Taliban are behind to disturb the situation in Karachi and all part o Pakistan. Please I request to all well wisher of our country come ahead and see the situation. Mohajir can not be enemy of the country. We pray to Allah for peace and prosperity in the Pakistan. Pakistan Zinda Bad and Pakistan Painda Bad
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@ Shahid…I was waiting for u dear..Someone hand to mention a “secret hand”.Recommend
why only MQM is being associated with this , I am sorry but ANP and PPP are equally responsible for this , Maybe the claim of onesided police action is justified .
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Guys can we discuss the tipping point? What do you guys believe is the tipping point and what consequences will it bring?
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Good on you for directly mentioning MQM’s name. Most reporters/papers do not have the courage to.
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Tipping point will be when police escort of all police officers and ministers is withdrawn.
Then they will realise that Karachi is not safe and things have to be done urgently to ensure safety and security of the citizens of Karachi.
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@woohoo:
how insensitive of you…
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@Pakistan Khaapy
This mindset is the reason behind all problems
of Karachi.
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MQM is the founder of violence in body politic of Pakistan. They are the one which introduced torture cells in the city of Karachi. They are the one which had a militant wing called Nadeem Commando group. They are the one who would drill holes in the limbs of the people and they are still doing it. They are the one who have sent hundreds of dead bodies to Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. They are the one which introduced Bhatta Khori in Pakistan.
It was decade of Musharraf, during which they looted exchequer money and took break from “Bhatta Khori”. The needs were met from Local Government and Port and shipping ministry.
Altaf Hussain should apologize to the people of Pakistan for the damage he has done to Pakistan, Sind, Karachi and the people of Pakistan. He should submit to the court and face the murder charges.
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Why their faces are covered up whereas Mr. Rehman Malik openly said not to do so that people may know their identity and their interviews?????Recommend
There should be no mercy for these ruthless killers, but its so sad to see injustice in this society. Over a 100 killings in few days, this should have been the tipping point.
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I still remeber when Rehman Malik said 70% of target killings in Karachi were courtesy wives and girlfriends looking to get rid of their partners and vice versa in the month of July. How intellectuals are our leaders. I simply ashamed with such an easy escape from the responsibilies that they have. Infact they themselves are brutals.
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The masters in art of torture,MQM target killers on the loose.
Be ware of their cunning symphaties.Karachi will never get peace with this party being voted in again and again.
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democracy is a joke!
bring’in the commandos!
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the reality behind the Altaf’s crocodile tears
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When i turned 18, of all my happy feelings,being able to vote legally was the greatest one.
And now, i feel ashamed of it and i have decided NEVER to vote. ( whatever party it may be ).
All of these politicians are corrupt, have no heart and gangsters!
Army is our ONLY hope. Democracy fool’s paradise! !@#Recommend
@Zain Kamran:
Do you know the reason we cannot get rid of corrupt leaders? Its not that people vote them but Its because majority of people are not voting … even if 90% of population don’t vote they will rule all 100% population based on the 10% votes they get … If there is no electricity, corruption, and anarchy every one equally gets suffer and those who don’t vote are just cursing them which brings no change but frustration.
Democracy needs time for people to get mature enough to vote their leaders based on their Manifesto which they check after election if it was followed or not and based on individuality instead of party affiliation. If leader of a party is sincere but most of 350 Parliamentarians are incompetent or corrupt the leader can not do a single thing .. But if the leader is corrupt and rest of ministers and parliamentarians are hard working and competent the government works and the leader can’t help but will be forced to either keep quiet or work along. So its better we ask every one to vote against the rotten eggs.
Army has never been a solution as the power goes in the hands of a single person who knows that its his only chance no matter what he does, is not answerable to any one. Zia was enough to punish us for the rest of our lives by bringing millions of AK47 holding people from across the border and heroin culture because he was not answerable to any one so whatever he did was at his own will .. the same policies are responsible for terrorism across the country.Recommend