Five suspected militants killed by police

Four other suspects belonging to a banned outfit arrested in Defence

KARACHI: Five more suspected militants allegedly planning to carry out a major terror activity in the city were killed by the police while another four militants of a banned outfit were apprehended from DHA on Wednesday.

Five suspected militants were killed in Sohrab Goth, which has become notorious as a militants’ hideout. The encounter took place when a team of District Malir police led by District Malir SSP Rao Anwar tried to cordon off the hideout of the suspected militants in Qayyumabad neighbourhood of Sohrab Goth.





This was the first major operation carried out in District Malir since Anwar was reappointed as District Malir SSP. Anwar was reappointed as Malir SSP in the second week of December by the provincial government. Earlier, he was suspended by the provincial government following a controversial press conference in which he claimed the arrest of Muttahida Qaumi Movement workers allegedly linked to the Indian spy agency, Research and Analysis Wing, in the mid of 2014. The District Malir police led by SSP Anwar had killed more than 150 suspected militants belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), alQaeda and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi since the Karachi operation began on September 5, 2013.

“We conducted a raid on intelligence-based information at the hideout of the militants,” said SSP Anwar. “Before we could arrest them, they resorted to indiscriminate fire at us, which compelled us to call more police force to counter them.” As many as five suspected militants were killed during an exchange of fire between the police and the militants that lasted at least for one hour, while a few of their companions managed to escape under the cover of fire. The bodies were later shifted to the Edhi morgue in Sohrab Goth after medico-legal formalities were completed at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.



Two of them were later identified as Muhammad Naeem and Abdul Hafeez while the others have yet to be identified. Sohrab Goth SHO Aziz Shaikh said that though no one from their heirs approached the police as yet, the police managed to identify two of them with the help of an informer. SHO Shaikh said that Hafeez was the TTP chief for Sohrab Goth area and the militants killed had been involved in various cases of terrorism, particularly the attacks on police and Rangers. However, he was unable to share the details of the crimes in which the deceased terrorists were involved. The officer also claimed to have recovered nearly 10 kilogrammes of explosives and weapons.

The police believe that the militants were planning to carry out a major terrorist activity in the city. The cases were registered and further investigations are underway.

Raid in DHA Phase I

Separately, four more suspected militants belonging to a banned outfit were apprehended after an exchange of fire with the Defence police in Phase I. The suspects arrested were identified as Hanif alias Nadeem Kala, Ashraf alias Bholo, Rehmat and Zahid. Police officials also claim to have recovered one kilogramme of explosives and weapons from their possession, saying that they were plotting a terrorist activity in the city. However, the police were unable to share details about the arrests when approached.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2016.