Gang busters: 24 members of different gangs arrested

Murder, kidnapping, carlifting among their alleged offences.

ISLAMABAD: The police claimed to have nabbed 24 suspects belonging to eight separate gangs which were allegedly involved in criminal activities including kidnapping for ransom and the murders of a former bureaucrat and a merchant.

The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) and the Anti-Car Lifting Cell (ACLC) of Islamabad Police were responsible for busting the suspected criminal gangs.

According to the police, the two dozen suspected criminals have confessed to their involvement in murder cases, robberies, kidnapping for ransom and car thefts. The police have also recovered looted items from them including gold ornaments, cell phones, laptop computers and cash.

One of the gangs arrested included eight Afghan nationals, who confessed to murdering former federal secretary Zar Khaleel and injuring his wife during a robbery at their house in D-12. They also admitted to injuring Ameenullah, an army officer, for resisting a robbery at his house, the police said. The suspects have been identified as Ajab Gul, Hayat Khan, Ziaul Haq, Nurullah, Nizam Khan, Asmatullah, Imran and Shams Gul.

Two alleged murderers from the Afghan gang, identified as Arshad alias Gora and Ziaul Haq, were also arrested in connection with the murder of a merchant in the vegetable market after he resisted a robbery attempt. Two suspects, Khalil and Babar Khan, confessed to robbing four houses in the jurisdiction of the Margalla Police Station, according to the police.

CIA police teams also arrested Asif and Ali Zeb for their alleged involvement in robbing a general store in Sector G-6/1-2 and three other incidents in the Margalla police area.

The CIA teams also arrested four men, Sherzada, Imran Khan, Akram and Shahjehan, who were on the run after some of their accomplices had been arrested during an earlier raid. They are suspected of two kidnapping for ransom in the Ramna and Golra police station areas.

Bilal Shah was arrested for allegedly snatching cash and mobile phones at gunpoint.

The ACLC police teams busted an inter-provincial gang of car thieves and gangsters, who have confessed to stealing eight cars from Islamabad, four from Havelian and three each from Abbottabad and Rawalpindi, according to the police. The gang’s members have been identified as Tasleem alias Lal Kohistani, Naveed Akhtar, Babar Ali and Raees Mir.

Two other car snatchers, Asif and Ali Gul, have been also arrested, police said. They have confessed to snatching two cars from Margallah police area. The respective police stations have started action against these criminals, the authorities said, and further investigation is under way.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2014.