![city in mourning 11 arrests 111 deaths in karachi city in mourning 11 arrests 111 deaths in karachi](https://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/237634-SSPcentrePHOTONNI-1314138030.jpg)
Despite a complete strike in Karachi for the Yaum-e-Soag announced by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, violence continued in the city as police and Rangers claimed to have arrested 11 suspected target killers.
Six more people were killed on Tuesday, raising the total death toll to 111 from eight days of unabated violence in Karachi.
‘Target killers’ arrested
SSP Central Asim Qaimkhani and SSP South Naeem Sheikh presented four men at a press conference who, they said, were members of the ‘slaughtering squad’ of a criminal gang. They said that men had confessed to abducting and killing over a dozen people after sexually assaulting them. They also said that they are now looking for a prime suspect, who they believe is the chief of the ‘beheading squad’.
Qaimkhani and Sheikh said that the men were arrested late on Tuesday night after a police encounter in North Nazimabad. Police identified the suspects as Shahnawaz Baloch, Rafiq, Mustafa Baloch and Naeem Jan.
The suspects, police said, have also confessed to being involved in 13 cases of murder, attempt to murder and abduction. Police have recovered weapons and drugs from their possession.
According to SHO Anzar Alam, the men belong to Lyari’s Akram Baloch group, which is being run by Akram’s nephews Sameer and Afzal and is a rival of the now defunct Peoples Amn Committee.
“The men have admitted that they had killed members from rival gangs after kidnapping them from Lyari and surrounding areas,” Alam said. The men, he said, were wanted by Kalakot, Napier, Chakiwara and Risala police and are currently in custody of Kalakot police.
Alam said that in all 13 cases, the men abducted the victims, killed them and stuffed their slaughtered bodies into gunny bags. “Shahnawaz and Rafiq sexually abused the abductees, while Sameer beheaded them after injecting drugs into his body,” he said.
Other members of the gang kidnapped people and made videos while they were being tortured. These videos, Alam said, were found from the mobile phones of the arrested men. In another raid, alleged target killer Ejaz Chohto was arrested from Tipu Sultan Road under the jurisdiction of Baldia Police Station. SHO Haq Nawaz said the arrested accused is a political worker and was involved in nearly 50 cases of heinous crimes, including target killings.
Meanwhile, Saeedabad police also claimed that it had apprehended a target killer, identified as Abul Ghaffar, said to be affiliated with the MQM.
During interrogation, Ghaffar told police that he had kidnapped Yasir from a market in Saeedabad and handed the hostage over to Aziz alias CIA, Imran and Yusuf, who also belonged to the MQM. Half an hour later, they killed Yasir and dumped his body in Rang Gaar area of Saeedabad.
During separate raids in Gulberg and Ferozabad, five more suspected target killers were arrested, sources within Sindh Rangers confirmed. Four of the suspects were arrested from Gulberg but their identities could not be ascertained.
Another suspect was arrested on Tariq Road while trying to escape after attacking a man named Saadullah.
Violence
Meanwhile, there was no respite in the continuous killing spree in Karachi as three bodies were found from separate areas in the city while two more people were gunned down on Tuesday.
Two bodies were found separately within the jurisdiction of Pak Colony Police Station. Both bodies bore torture marks and bullet wounds in the head. Their hands and legs were tied with ropes.
A body stuffed in a gunny bag was found from Qasba Colony in Orangi Town. A note, saying ‘[do you] want peace or war?’, was found with the body, police said, adding that the man was strangled to death.
Two people, identified as Faisal and Bahadur Ali, were shot dead in separate incidents of target killing in Malir City and Shah Latif, respectively.
An activist of a Sindhi nationalist party Allah Jatoi was gunned down in Bilal Colony in Korangi. DSP Fakhrul Islam said Jatoi, associated with Sindh Dost Ittehad, was shot outside his home by armed men riding motorcycles.
(With additional reporting by Salman Siddiqui in Karachi)
Published in The Express Tribune, August 24th, 2011.
COMMENTS (33)
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the reality behind the Altaf's crocodile tears
democracy is a joke! bring'in the commandos!
The masters in art of torture,MQM target killers on the loose. Be ware of their cunning symphaties.Karachi will never get peace with this party being voted in again and again.
I still remeber when Rehman Malik said 70% of target killings in Karachi were courtesy wives and girlfriends looking to get rid of their partners and vice versa in the month of July. How intellectuals are our leaders. I simply ashamed with such an easy escape from the responsibilies that they have. Infact they themselves are brutals.
There should be no mercy for these ruthless killers, but its so sad to see injustice in this society. Over a 100 killings in few days, this should have been the tipping point.
MQM is the founder of violence in body politic of Pakistan. They are the one which introduced torture cells in the city of Karachi. They are the one which had a militant wing called Nadeem Commando group. They are the one who would drill holes in the limbs of the people and they are still doing it. They are the one who have sent hundreds of dead bodies to Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. They are the one which introduced Bhatta Khori in Pakistan. It was decade of Musharraf, during which they looted exchequer money and took break from “Bhatta Khori”. The needs were met from Local Government and Port and shipping ministry. Altaf Hussain should apologize to the people of Pakistan for the damage he has done to Pakistan, Sind, Karachi and the people of Pakistan. He should submit to the court and face the murder charges.
@Pakistan Khaapy
This mindset is the reason behind all problems of Karachi.
@woohoo: how insensitive of you...
Tipping point will be when police escort of all police officers and ministers is withdrawn.
Then they will realise that Karachi is not safe and things have to be done urgently to ensure safety and security of the citizens of Karachi.
Good on you for directly mentioning MQM's name. Most reporters/papers do not have the courage to.
Guys can we discuss the tipping point? What do you guys believe is the tipping point and what consequences will it bring?
why only MQM is being associated with this , I am sorry but ANP and PPP are equally responsible for this , Maybe the claim of onesided police action is justified .
Those they are in the Govt. they are enemies of our beloved country, like zulfiqar mirza, sharjeel memon and other they are the part of Jiay sindh movement. Mohajirs and Pakhtoons has no differences. They are not enemies to each other. Jamate Islami, Al Qayeda and Taliban are behind to disturb the situation in Karachi and all part o Pakistan. Please I request to all well wisher of our country come ahead and see the situation. Mohajir can not be enemy of the country. We pray to Allah for peace and prosperity in the Pakistan. Pakistan Zinda Bad and Pakistan Painda Bad
I have been a great admirer of this newspaper and it is sad to see this report in a newspaper of such repute and standing. Why has the media started to equate Sindh only with some cities like Karachi and Hyderabad? True Karachi is the capital of Sindh and Hyderabad a major city. Sindh is not just these cities but much more. It is said 'All markets, educational institutions and gas stations remained closed in Karachi and interior Sindh.' ALL I ask? Some T.V. stations are reporting and showing that many cities including Larkana were functioning normally as were so many other cities. I hope the reporter in question is asked to get a new pair of glasses preferably ones that are not supplied to him by a political party or coloured.
There is some secret hand working to turn Karachi as Capital of Afghanistan.
This is even gonna get uglier. Looks like there is no room for compromise. They all have adopted tit for tat policy.
We don't need external enemies our politicians are enough...
Ref: UJ
Khufyaa cameras are not that khufyaa if they can be spotted and destroyed
More than 100 persons died in 4 days and Govt allows to use all necessary actions to control the situation "sharam magar tum ko nahi aati"
Democracy is the best revenge - now we know what they meant at that time !
How did kidnapping, horrible torture/mutilation, and execution inside a burlap bag become part of Pakistan's political culture? Somehow you have lost your moral compass.
The situation is under control as long as the poor and faceless people keep on dying but the rich and big shots remain untouched.
It is Democracy or Demonstration of Democracy for KARACHI people?
Forget all this. Karachi never going to get any better. India was white washed in test series against England. So, lets go that forum and gloat over it while we can.
if situation gets out of hand??
What is his definition of situation getting out of hand? The whole city dies?
Mirza had been summoned to Islamabad after an exchange of words between him and Interior Minister Rehman Malik during a special cabinet meeting was reported. He ruled out that any such incident had occurred.
That he is a loud-mouth was amply demonstrated but he is now proving to be thrifty with truth too.
Checkout the actions of so called democratic party's actions http://jang.com.pk/jang/aug2011-daily/23-08-2011/karachi/kar19.gif