Police carried out a crackdown on the armed wings of illegal private housing societies in Chauntra and Chakri and arrested 34 suspects.
According to the police, an armed man who had opened fire at the police in an attempt to avoid arrest was injured in the retaliatory fire. In total, 34 suspects were arrested and a large number of sophisticated weapons and ammunition were recovered from their possession.
The Express Tribune reported on May 12 that the police were mulling over a major operation to curb the rising incidents of armed clashes among land grabbers, mafias and illegal private housing societies.
A police spokesman said that during the operation, eight Kalashnikovs, seven 303-rifles, one repeater, 18 pistols and a large number of arms and ammunition were recovered from their possession.
The arrested accused included Owais, Mohammad Hussain, Sabir, Khurshid, Faisal, Zaheer, Owais, Noor Mohammad, Afzal, Ghulam Murtaza, Imtiaz, Ghaffar, Noman, Shafaqat, Ramzan, Sajjad, Osama, Noor Hakim, Aftab, Mohammad Naiya, Zar Khan, Fazal Wahid, Shah Zali, Shahid, Shafiq, Iqbal, Shoaib, Mubashir, Shoaib, Adnan, Ibrahim, Abdul Qadir, Faras and Khalid.
A heavy contingent of elite commandos along with the district police took part in the operation, the spokesperson said that the injured accused, Owais, has been shifted to hospital for treatment.
Rawalpindi City Police Officer Syed Shehzad Nadeem Bukhari said that a zero-tolerance policy against land mafia and armed wings will be ensured. “Those who killed people and spread terror will be dealt with iron hands,” he said adding that the operation will continue until the permanent eradication of armed wings from the affected areas.
Police said that separate cases are being registered against the accused at Chauntra and Chakri police stations. The criminal record of the arrested accused will also be investigated, they said. The accused could be transferred to the relevant police stations if they were wanted by the police in other cases, they added.
Police sources told The Express Tribune that the armed conflict in the Saddar division has increased over the last few years as compared to the three divisions of the district. Dozens of armed clashes have been reported in the Saddar division during the last one year, claiming several lives and inflicting damage to the property.
According to the sources, a number of real estate tycoons have their own armed wings. The purpose of having these armed wings is to gain the upper hand over opponents in the real estate sector.
According to the police sources, not only do these armed wings have a large number of prohibited modern weapons, but a few police officers were also patronising these groups.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 1st, 2022.
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