Baldia factory fire prime suspect Hammad Siddiqui 'arrested in Dubai'

Former MQM organising committee chief is likely to be brought to Karachi on Monday

KARACHI: Hammad Siddiqui, the prime suspect in the Baldia factory fire and former chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement's Karachi organising committee, has reportedly been arrested by Interpol in Dubai on Friday.

Sources said the Pakistani consulate in Dubai had been directed to make arrangements for bringing Siddiqui back to the country. He is likely to be brought to Karachi on Monday.

Siddiqui is the prime suspect in the 2012 Baldia factory fire in which 260 people, mostly factory workers, were killed and several others injured.

Siddiqui is currently being interrogated in Dubai about the factory fire and other incidents of violence in Karachi.

However, the arrest has not been officially confirmed yet.

Additional IG Karachi Mushtaq Mehar, when contacted, said, "I have no idea about his arrest. Nobody has informed me [about it] so far," he maintained.

Siddiqui is also nominated in the Dr Imran Farooq murder case.

Police name Hammad Siddiqui as prime suspect in fourth charge sheet of Baldia fire

Another suspect, Abdul Rehman alias Bhola, a former sector in-charge of the MQM, was arrested in connection with the Baldia factory fire case in Bangkok by Interpol last year. While in custody he ‘confessed’ before a judicial magistrate, saying the fire was caused to ‘teach the factory owners a lesson and inflict loss on them’ over their refusal to pay extortion and give a share in profits to Siddiqui.

Rehman said that Hammad had demanded Rs250 million as protection money and a share in the profits from the factory owners, and when they refused, Rehman, being the adhoc in-charge of MQM’s Baldia Town Sector, was tasked with committing arson at the factory with the use of chemicals.