CID operation: Police arrest four suspected Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militants
Law enforcers seize arms and explosive material.
KARACHI:
Almost a month to the day when law enforcers nabbed the chief of a faction of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi’s (LeJ) Sindh chapter, the crime investigation department’s Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) claimed that it arrested another four members of the banned outfit.
AEC chief SP Chaudhry Aslam Khan presented the suspects, who were identified as Asif Hussain alias Hakla, Yasin alias Yawer, Hafiz Mohammad Mubarak alias Omar and Hazrat Ali alias Murtaza, during a press conference at Garden Police headquarters on Tuesday. Officials said that they had been arrested during raids in different parts of the city. Nearly 25 kilogrammes of explosive material, 10 feet detonating wire, four hand grenades, two Kalashnikovs, three TT pistols and a 9mm pistol were also allegedly seized from the suspects.
Khan said that the accused admitted during initial interrogation that they were affiliated with LeJ, and that they had targeted around 15 people on sectarian basis in Qasba Colony, Orangi Town, Manghopir, Old Golimar, Taimuria and other parts of the city. They are also wanted in over 90 cases of robbery in the city.
“They were planning to carry out a bomb blast before Muharram to create sectarian tensions in the city,” claimed the AEC chief. He added that one of the accused, Asif, was the key suspect involved in the kidnapping of Shaukat Afridi, who was a prominent oil supplier to Natoforces.
Afridi was killed when two suicide bombers blew themselves up after a CID team raided their hideout in Baldia Town in September 2008.
LeJ reportedly has two factions operating in the city, with one led by Naeem Bukhari and the other by Asif Chohto. AEC claimed to have arrested Chohto’s LeJ Karachi chief on October 5 and Bukhari faction’s Sindh chief, Hafiz Qasim Rasheed alias Ganja on October 17. Rasheed reportedly carried out more than 100 murders, including the assassination of Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPA Raza Haider.
Paramilitary forces conduct separate raids
Rangers detained another 23 suspects during targeted raids in Bilal Colony, Shamsi Society, Model Colony, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Awami Colony, Liaquatabad, Punjabi Club and Post and Telegraph Colony on Tuesday. A suspected target killer, Shamimur Rehman, was among the suspects who were taken into custody. Officials added that 16 weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunitions were also seized.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 14th, 2012.
Almost a month to the day when law enforcers nabbed the chief of a faction of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi’s (LeJ) Sindh chapter, the crime investigation department’s Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) claimed that it arrested another four members of the banned outfit.
AEC chief SP Chaudhry Aslam Khan presented the suspects, who were identified as Asif Hussain alias Hakla, Yasin alias Yawer, Hafiz Mohammad Mubarak alias Omar and Hazrat Ali alias Murtaza, during a press conference at Garden Police headquarters on Tuesday. Officials said that they had been arrested during raids in different parts of the city. Nearly 25 kilogrammes of explosive material, 10 feet detonating wire, four hand grenades, two Kalashnikovs, three TT pistols and a 9mm pistol were also allegedly seized from the suspects.
Khan said that the accused admitted during initial interrogation that they were affiliated with LeJ, and that they had targeted around 15 people on sectarian basis in Qasba Colony, Orangi Town, Manghopir, Old Golimar, Taimuria and other parts of the city. They are also wanted in over 90 cases of robbery in the city.
“They were planning to carry out a bomb blast before Muharram to create sectarian tensions in the city,” claimed the AEC chief. He added that one of the accused, Asif, was the key suspect involved in the kidnapping of Shaukat Afridi, who was a prominent oil supplier to Natoforces.
Afridi was killed when two suicide bombers blew themselves up after a CID team raided their hideout in Baldia Town in September 2008.
LeJ reportedly has two factions operating in the city, with one led by Naeem Bukhari and the other by Asif Chohto. AEC claimed to have arrested Chohto’s LeJ Karachi chief on October 5 and Bukhari faction’s Sindh chief, Hafiz Qasim Rasheed alias Ganja on October 17. Rasheed reportedly carried out more than 100 murders, including the assassination of Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPA Raza Haider.
Paramilitary forces conduct separate raids
Rangers detained another 23 suspects during targeted raids in Bilal Colony, Shamsi Society, Model Colony, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Awami Colony, Liaquatabad, Punjabi Club and Post and Telegraph Colony on Tuesday. A suspected target killer, Shamimur Rehman, was among the suspects who were taken into custody. Officials added that 16 weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunitions were also seized.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 14th, 2012.