Police operation: Eight extortionists arrested

Usually, police arrest people after tracing their calls

KARACHI: Eight more alleged extortionists were arrested on the second day of the crackdown, on Sunday, against bhatta mafia. It was launched on the orders of Rehman Malik after a Muttahida Qaumi Movement backed strike of the business community on Saturday, when six men were apprehended.

On Sunday, two motorcyclists opened fire at a butcher’s shop in Gol Market, Nazimabad, resulting in injuries to Zubair, after which the shopkeepers blocked the main road in protest. According to them, three days before, the shop’s owner, Naeem Qureshi, refused to pay the extortionists after they sent him a receipt of Rs500,000. But DSP Qudratullah disagreed and said that firing occurred because of a personal dispute and the shopkeepers were distorting facts.

Mohammad Ali, Abdul Jabbar and Qadir Buksh were caught from Gulbai in SITE and three TT pistols were also seized from them. SHO Shafiq Tanoli said that the men used to collect extortion money from factory owners.

Another man, Hameed Baloch, alias Chingari, was arrested by the Napier police and a TT pistol and four cell phones were found on him. According to SHO Imdad Ali he was arrested after a tip-off.

The newly established Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) also claimed to have arrested two men, Sagar and Zahid Hussain, from Bangoria Goth. AEC officials said that they hailed from rural Sindh and South Punjab and have so far collected money from over six people.

Only Qudrat Ali and Zulfiqar were caught red-handed after the police received a complaint. They were trying to extort money from a medical store in Nawab Colony.

Usually, the police arrests people after tracing their calls or when someone files a complaint.

An SP told The Express Tribune that most of the times the suspects turn out to be guilty. But in a few cases they make street criminals appear as extortionists or target killers to release pressure.

“It depends on the situation,” he said. “At times like these we have to leave everything else and catch the extortionists or target killers. It is only a matter of time and things will get back to normal again.”

However, senior police officers said that they can take action only when they are ordered.

They didn’t launch a crackdown before because there were no orders.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2012.