CTD raids Lyari gang war commander’s ‘gutka factory’

Police arrest 12 people, seize raw material machinery

KARACHI:

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Civil Lines Police raided the gutka factory of a Lyari Gang War Commander in the Pak Colony area.

CTD arrested 12 suspects besides recovering ready-made gutka, raw material and machinery worth millions of rupees.

Sale and manufacturing of gutka, a cancer-causing tobbaco chew, has been banned by the Sindh High Court. In this regard, SHO CTD Inspector Raja Tariq said that it was reported from secret sources that Riyasat, the commander of the Lyari gang war in the Pak Colony area, is running a large-scale gutka factory.

On this information, a heavy contingent of police surrounded the said factory.

During the raid, readymade gutka worth millions of rupees, raw material used in the manufacture of gutka, machinery and other equipment, and three motorcycles and two vehicles used in gutka supply were seized. He said gutka was supplied to different cities of Sindh, including Karachi and Thatta. During the raid, commander Riyasat managed to escape from the spot. However, the police arrested 12 people working in the factory.

The CTD raid raised questions on the performance of the Pak Colony Police in whose jurisdiction the gutka manufacturing factory was running. The IG Sindh and Karachi Police Chief have emphasised several times during the meetings that immediate action should be taken against the gutka and mawa manufacturers.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 17^th, 2022.