Grilling galore: Rangers get 90-day custody of KU staffers, cable operators

KARACHI:

The Rangers informed the administrative judge of anti-terrorism courts on Monday regarding the 90-day preventive detention of 12 people, including the employees of Karachi University, fake cops and cable operators.

The paramilitary force claimed of having 'credible information' against the dozen suspects accused of targeted killings, extortion, kidnapping and other terrorism-related activities.

Cable operators

Among the suspects, two were Khalid Mehmood Arain and Syed Ghufran Mujtaba. Both run a well-established cable TV business with their operations spread across the city. Arain runs his company under the name of Solo Media Group while Mujtaba, who also owns the city-based news channel K21, has set up his network under  the name of 'city media'.

According to sources, Mujtaba was also taken into custody along with Abidi at the time, however, he was released a few days later.

KU employees

Five KU employees - audit officer Navid Siddiqi, accounts officers Zeeshan Amin alias Shani and Rehan, library assistant Shamshad and clerk Zohaib - were arrested in a swoop at the varsity's administration block on Friday morning. Sources said the paramilitary force cordoned off the building restricting movement while some masked personnel entered and took away the employees. All the arrested persons are said to be associated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

Siddiqi, in his student days, has remained the incharge of the party's student wing, All Pakistan Muttahida Student Organization (APMSO), at the varsity. During his tenure, a deadly clash occurred between the APMSO and Islami Jamiat Talaba, the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami, in August 2008 in which three students, Ramish, Usama and Abdul Jabbar, were killed and around 10 were injured.

Fake cops

The Rangers also produced Wajihuddin, Junaid, Hafiz Sheikh Hammad, Ejaz Khan and Mashhud Salim, saying they were part of a gang reportedly busted earlier this month in a raid conducted on a tip-off in North Karachi. According to the sources, the suspects impersonated police personnel and used to harass people for money. Some women, held as captives for ransom, were also recovered during the raid.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19^th,  2016.