Involved in Sehwan attack: LEA claim to arrest a suspect from Balochistan

Rangers round up 8 people in Karachi as part of the ongoing operation.

KARACHI: Acting on a tipoff, law enforcement agencies (LEAs) on Friday arrested a man allegedly involved in the February 16 suicide attack at a Sufi saint’s shrine in Sehwan Sharif. At least 90 devotees were killed and over 300 injured in the blast later claimed by outlawed Jamaatul Ahrar militant group.

The suspect – identified as Tahir – was taken into custody during a raid conducted at Uthal area of Balochistan, sources in the police told The Express Tribune.

Tahir is suspected of being involved in the Sehwan bombing. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Tahir worked for Abdul Hafeez Pandrani, a leader of the Hafeez Brohi group which is affiliated with the outlawed sectarian outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ).



Pandrani is suspected to be the mastermind of the Sehwan bombing. So far, the LEAs and intelligence agencies have failed to arrest the key suspects including Pandrani despite passage of three months as the security officials believe the suspects are in hiding in Afghanistan.

District West SSP Nasir Aftab said nothing could be said about the involvement of Tahir in the Sehwan Sharif bombing as investigations were at a preliminary level.

Meanwhile, paramilitary Rangers arrested eight more suspects during the ongoing targeted raids and operations in the city. According to Rangers spokesperson, the suspects are involved in various crimes including targeted killings, extortion, street crimes, robberies and drug peddling.



Five suspects – arrested from Baghdadi area of Lyari – were identified as Hanif alias Annu, Shahzad, Zubair, Waleed and Yousuf.  Rangers’ spokesperson said the suspects belong to Lyari gang war and Baloch Liberation Army.

He said three more suspects were rounded up during raids in Saudabad and Ferozabad areas of the city. The suspects were identified as Shahid Iqbal, Yousuf Khan and Rafiq Khan.

He said the suspects arrested were involved in drug peddling. “Arms, ammunitions and narcotics were also recovered from their possession while further investigation is under way,” he added.