Police arrest alleged sectarian killer

CID police also nab Lyari gangster, fear outbreak of turf war. PHOTO : MOHAMMAD NOMAN

The police have arrested a member of a militant outfit believed to be behind the recent killing of a Shia man.

SSP CID Fayyaz Khan’s team arrested Zahid Khan alias Shakeel from Sohrab Goth after receiving an anonymous tip-off. On Tuesday, they said he was linked to the banned sectarian outfit Lashkar-i-Jhangvi.

They said they seized one TT pistol and four bullets from his possession. SSP Khan said that Zahid and his accomplices were involved in the murder of Shahzad Hussain, who was killed in the recent spate of sectarian violence in the city.

The police have claimed to have arrested 46 militants belonging to different jihadi outfits in the city during the first six months of this year. It also claimed to have killed six militants.

An FIR for his murder was lodged at the Pakistan Bazaar police station under Section 302/34 of the Criminal Procedure Code. “Hopefully we will discover other information about his accomplices during the investigation,” said Khan.

Separately, an aide of Lyari gangster Ghaffar Zikri was arrested from Mauripur Road by the CID police on Saturday. A team headed by SSP Anti-Extremism Cell Omar Shahid and CID SSP Chaudhry Aslam arrested Shoaib alias Doctor after an alleged encounter, with three Kalashinkovs, two rifles, two 7MM rifles, two TT pistols, five hand grenades and bullets.

‘Doctor’ was wanted in 31 criminal cases. Five of his accomplices managed to escape after a brief encounter with the CID team. Those who escaped included Razzaq Commando, Ghaffar Zikri, Sheraz Zikri, Shahzad alias Faizu and Saeed alias Kalu Current.

“They have stored their weapons in Jehanabad,” said SSP Aslam Chaudry at a press conference at the Garden Police Headquarters.

SSP Omar Shahid said he suspected Ghaffar Zikri and his associates were preparing to attack Lyari and re-capture areas they lost to the rival Baba Ladla group.

Zikri and his gang were kicked out from their strongholds of Eidhu Lane and neighboring areas by Baba Ladla’s men. “The Lyari gang war can start any time as the Zikri group is gathering weapons and preparing to launch an all-out assault,” Chaudhry Aslam said.

The Government of Sindh had announced head money worth Rs300,000 for the arrest or killing of Shoaib alias ‘Doctor’.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2010.