Interrogation details: New police chief unveils report on extortionists, kidnappers

The suspects, belonging to various groups, were arrested by the LEAs during the ongoing targeted operation.

KARACHI:

The police are not afraid to name the Lyari gangsters or Lashkar-e-Jhangvi as suspected kidnappers and extortionists but they are reluctant to share the affiliations of political activists they arrest.

On Monday, the new city police chief, Shahid Hayat Khan, unveiled the department’s interrogation report on the 10 suspects arrested by the law enforcers as part of the ongoing targeted operation in the city. The suspects were allegedly involved in cases of kidnapping and extortion and were said to be affiliated with the Lyari gang war, the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and a political party, whose name he kept secret.



Addressing a joint press conference at the central police office along with three DIGs, AIG Khan reported that not only ordinary weapons but those of higher calibre, such as light machine guns, were seized from the suspects’ possession.

In the interrogation report, suspect Abdul Hameed alias Muna, a resident of Mauripur, admitted that he was part of a gang that collected extortion money from transporters. The gang would kidnap their children and other family members if they refused to pay. “About six months ago, we kidnapped Riaz, a transporter, from the Mauripur truck stand and I called his family for money,” said the report, quoting the suspect. “When the family failed to pay, we killed him and threw his body near Crown Cinema.”

Muna told the police that Mullah Nazir of Lyari was their group leader. “We had also kidnapped the owner of a Bridgestone showroom and demanded Rs5 million for his release,” the suspect admitted. “Our people continuously traced his family, demanding the extortion money but they did not respond properly.” The group killed the man and left his body near the showroom with a note saying this is the price they pay for not paying extortion.

In his confessional statement, Muna had also admitted to have killed two Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) workers, Babar and Ashique, in Musharraf Colony because of a long-standing rivalry. “Mullah Nazir had directed us to kill the MQM workers as they were creating problems in the collection of the extortion money.”

Tariq Ali aka Kaki, another alleged active member of the gang war, who belongs to Mawach Goth, told the police that his job was to keep vigil on rich people and to facilitate other members of the gang. Mauripur and Naval Colony were the areas from where they would collect extortion. The funds were collected from markets, shopkeepers and transporters, he admitted. “Initially, we called the people and did not bother those who paid us but if someone failed to pay up, we intimidated them by a show of our weapons and resorted to aerial firing if they avoided our calls.”

Khan, while briefing the media, said that Gulberg police had also arrested three suspects affiliated with a political party and recovered 9MM pistols.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi

Four other suspects, affiliated with the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a banned militant organisation, had also been arrested by the Super Market police. “Abu Qasim, Siddique Akbar, Anees and Asghar Khan were master trainers who conducted training sessions for the youth and sent them to Waziristan and Afghanistan for jihad,” said Khan. “They also collected funds and prepared motorcycles for bomb blasts.”

The AIG clarified that the ongoing operation was not against any particular political party. Rather, it was a consolidated action by the Rangers and the police to purge the city of criminals. “We are now trying to strengthen the investigation wing so that terrorists will not be released on bail easily.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 17^th, 2013.