The Garden police have busted a gang of notorious street criminals wanted by the police in robbery and murder cases. District City SSP Amjad Hayat said that an encounter occurred late at night, adding that the arrested suspects include gang leader Naimatullah, alias Mata, and Matiullah.
The officer said the gang was involved in dozens of robberies and attempted murders, adding that they had robbed a jewellery shop in Saddar three months ago.
Police investigations revealed that the suspects had received information about the shop from their accomplice Farooq Bengali, then the crime was planned and weapons were provide by Naimatullah and Hussain Afghani. SSP Hayat pointed out that Naimatullah can also be seen in CCTV camera footage.
He said Ahmedullah Afghani had killed Rangers officer Asif during a robbery near the matriculation board office in North Nazimabad during the Eidul Fitr holidays.
He also said that on May 16 the gang attacked a marble factory in Manghopir, adding that six suspects on three motorbikes had entered the factory and taken the staff hostage at gunpoint to demand Rs1 million.
The officer said Bilal Tension, Amir and Naeem Afghani have been arrested in connection with the case. He said that on October 10 a gang of robbers opened fire on a police team in Pirabad, adding that Bilal and Zeeshan were arrested after an encounter. The SSP said the gang has 10 to 12 robbers, with their hideout established on the hill of MPR Colony. He said the suspects also keep children to inform them about the movement of police and Rangers.
He also said they target university students and office workers, then deliver the snatched mobile phones to Naimatullah Afghani, who used to sell them to engineer Hussain Afghani and his nephew Mehtab.
The officer said Hussain owns a mobile phone shop in Swat, adding that when they collect around 100 mobile phones, his nephew sends it to Swat by bus. He said Hussain sells the phones in Swat by changing the IMEI numbers. The suspects used to send mobile phones from the Torkham border to Afghanistan.
Drug bust
The Keamari district police led a successful operation on a tip-off and busted a network involved in the supply of drugs across Karachi, seizing a huge quantity of narcotics. Thirty-three kilograms of hashish and three motorbikes were seized in the operation.
SSP Arif Aslam Rao said that five suspects were arrested while two others managed to escape. He identified the detainees as Graan Baacha, Musa, Sajjad Ali, Asad and Waqas.
He said their network is involved in large-scale drug supply across the city. Efforts had been under way at technical and intelligence levels for several days to dismantle the network,
he added.