Hyderabad police arrest five 'Indian-trained terrorists'

They were allegedly involved in the 2016 Rohri Bypass blast, placing bomb at MUET

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad police claimed on Friday to have busted a group of terrorists trained in India to carry out armed struggle for the independence of Sindh.

During a press conference at the police headquarters, Hyderabad DIG Javed Alam Odho informed the media about the arrest of five alleged terrorists in the outskirts of Hyderabad. The DIG said the suspects were arrested at around 2am during a raid at a residential unit in Aliabad, a locality in rural Hatri town in the city's outskirts.

The suspects were identified as Muzaffar Nagraj, Murtaza Abro, Shakeel Ghangro, Rafaqat Jarwar and Aarib Soomro. Some of their accomplices were still at large, the officer said.



According to DIG Odho, Nagraj was the commander of the group that had received training in India. He added that technical and human intelligence helped the police catch the suspects. The officer also claimed that the suspects were involved in December, 2016 blast on the Rohri Bypass in Khairpur in which two Chinese nationals and a Rangers official were injured. The alleged terrorists were also accused of their involvement in Mehrabpur railway track blast, placing a bomb near the entrance of Mehran University of Engineering and Technology and an explosion in Qasimabad on January 29.

"They planned to attack Jamaatud Dawa's Kashmir Day rally with the intent of fanning the flames of sectarian strife but the security arrangements foiled their bid," the DIG claimed, adding that the suspects belonged to a new group, the Sindh Revolutionary Army, which was a splinter group of the banned Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz.

According to DIG Odho, the terrorists engaged the police in an exchange of fire before they were finally arrested. The police recovered four improvised explosive devices (IEDs), 12 kilogrammes of explosive material, three pistols, a Kalashnikov rifle and ammunition from their possession, the officer said.



Meanwhile, Nagraj told the media that he received training for 20 to 25 days in India. "I travelled to India through the sea route from Badin [district]," he said, adding that he was trained in India to make IEDs and use weapons.

Nagraj also revealed that the Sindh Revolutionary Army was headed by a man named Asghar Shah.

Hyderabad SSP Peer Muhammad Shah, SP Zahida Parveen and Criminal Investigation Agency DSP Aslam Langha were also present at the press conference along with other officers. Sindh Inspector-General of Police Allah Dino Khowaja has announced a reward of Rs500,000 for the police team that arrested the suspected terrorists.