‘Financer’ of target killers gunned down

KARACHI:

The Rangers claimed to have killed an alleged financer of target killers affiliated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) along with two of his accomplices in an encounter on Monday.

Saleem alias Dollar, believed to be associated with a Lyari-based gang, was killed with two of his aides during an alleged encounter with the Rangers in an overnight targeted raid at his hideout on Khayaban-e-Rahat in Defence Housing Authority.

According to Rangers officials, the suspects opened fire upon them, provoking retaliation. In the resultant exchange of fire, Saleem and his two accomplices were killed while a Rangers personnel was wounded. The bodies were taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for autopsies, while the injured was shifted to the Rangers' hospital. Saleem's aides were later identified as Nawaz alias Dada and Zubair alias Muhajir.

Residents said that Saleem's wife had rented the house where the encounter took place five years ago. "These people had been living here for many years but no one had any idea that they were criminals," said a neighbour who wished not to be named.

While the Rangers officials claimed that the suspects were connected to Lyari gangs, the spokesperson for the paramilitary force said that Saleem was also affiliated with the MQM and had links with alleged target killer Saeed Barham and Lyari gangster Rauf Nagori.

"He used to finance them to undertake criminal activities in the city and also ran a team of target killers who were often hired as assassins to carry out numerous high-profile murders," claimed the spokesperson, adding that Saleem had been planning an attack on an officer belonging to a law enforcement agency.

The Rangers also allegedly seized a large cache of weapons and ammunition from the deceased, including 19 submachine guns, two light machine guns, three MP-5s and three Awan grenades.

Meanwhile, the Orangi Town police claimed to have apprehended a man posing as a Rangers official. The suspect, namely Faisal Akhtar, was arrested from Ghaziabad in Pakistan Bazaar. The police also confiscated Rangers' uniforms from his possession. SHO Nasir Mehmood said that he was involved in street crime and used to loot people after pretending to be a Rangers personnel. He added that Akhtar was arrested after the police received complaints from the residents about him.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 7^th, 2015.