Police issue sketches of Ittehad Town attack suspects

Karachi
Police issued on Tuesday the sketches of three suspects involved in a gun attack outside a mosque in Ittehad Town on November 20 wherein four paramilitary soldiers were killed.
The police said joint investigation teams which include members of intelligence agencies were working on the case.
The four soldiers, Qasim Ali, Shahdat Ali, Ashfaq and Akhtar Ali, were deployed outside Abu Huraira Masjid in Ittehad Town, Baldia. Following the attack, the assailants had also taken away the soldiers’ official guns.
Spent bullet shells of 9mm pistols were found at the crime scene.
The probing teams have recorded the statements of witnesses and with their help, the sketches have been developed.
The police said they were also going through the pictures and sketches of suspects involved in earlier attacks on law enforcement personnel to search for a match.
Police sources said some leads had been found in the case. There is also evidence that members of banned outfits are regrouping, particularly those belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Swat and al-Qaeda Sub Continent, and working together to target law enforcement agencies.
Following the crackdown on terrorists in Karachi, many of them had fled to upcountry areas, but in the past few months, there have been reports that they are regrouping in areas on the outskirts of the city.
Earlier, Rangers had announced a reward of Rs2.5 million for sharing information about the terrorists involved in the Ittehad Town attack.
Arrests
The Sindh Rangers continued carrying out raids in different parts of the city on Tuesday and arrested nine suspects, four of which they claimed were members of banned terrorist organisations.
The paramilitary personnel raided a location in Usmanabad area after receiving prior information of the presence of criminals and after a brief encounter arrested Rizwan alias Topi with weapons.
He was shifted to the investigation unit, however, during initial questioning the suspect confessed that he had committed six murders in different parts of the city, besides killing several people in the Lyari gang war.
Rangers officials claims Topi was also allegedly involved in extorting traders and he also admitted that he used to dump the bodies of his victims in different parts of the city in a rickshaw.
It was said he was produced before an anti-terrorism court on the same day and the Rangers obtained 90-day preventive detention under Section 11-EEEE.
Another raid was conducted in Arambagh area where a suspect Fahim Hussain was arrested. The paramilitary officials claimed he was involved in a number of target killings, extortion of traders, disruption of law and order and recent incidents of arson in the city.
On information obtained from Fahim Hussain, the Rangers personnel went on to raid another hideout in Arambagh’s furniture market from where seven sub-machine guns were recovered with 7,440 live rounds. Moreover, five bullet-proof jackets, several hand grenades and Avan rockets were also found. Fahim Hussain was also produced in an anti-terrorism court which granted the Rangers custody of the suspect under 90-day preventive detention under Section 11-EEEE.
Rangers personnel carried out more targeted raids in Saddar and North Nazimabad areas from where four members of banned outfits were arrested with weapons.
Meanwhile, in more actions in Sharafi Goth and Orangi areas, three more criminals including gangsters and drug peddlers were caught.
Two extortionists held
Meanwhile, the personnel of Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Sindh Police in separate actions arrested two alleged extortionists.
Incharge of the CTD’s investigation wing, Mazhar Mashwani, said Mohammad Noman alias Kodu and Naveed were arrested during a targeted raid in Kharadar area with two TT pistols.
He said the suspects had demanded Rs1 million from the owner of a petrol pump by impersonating to be members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s Dawood Khan Group.