The West District's SSP Investigation requested the provincial government on Wednesday to form a joint interrogation team for Baldia factory fire suspect Abdul Rehman alias Bhola, who was recently arrested by Interpol Thailand in Bangkok and brought to Pakistan by the Federal Investigation Agency.
A horrific fire at the Ali Enterprises, a garment factory in Baldia Town, had killed 259 workers and injured 50 others.
A joint investigation team reinvestigating the factory fire case had come to the conclusion that it was a “planned sabotage and terrorist activity” carried out after its owners refused to pay extortion money to Muttahida Qaumi Movement office-bearers Hammad Siddiqi and Bhola
In his application, the SSP investigation West wrote, “It is submitted that as per report of Inspector Raja Jehangir Ahmed of the SITE-B police station, accused Abdul Rehman alias Bhola, son of Abdul
Sattar, has been arrested in
case FIR 343/12, u/s 384/385/386/435/436/302/324/337/34/109 of the Pakistan Penal Code r/w 6/7 of the Anti Terrorism Act r/w 512 CrPC of SITE-B police station. The accused is a hardened criminal and reportedly involved in other cases of heinous offences filed at other police stations. Inspector Raja Jehangir has requested the constitution of a joint interrogation team for thorough and detailed interrogation of accused, who is in police custody remand up to December 19, 2016. It is therefore, requested that the home secretary may kindly be moved for the constitution of a JIT for interrogation of the accused.”
Remanded till 19th
A key suspect in the Baldia factory fire case, Abdul Rehman alias Bhola, was produced before an anti-terrorism court on Wednesday and remanded in police custody till December 19.
Bhola told the judge that he was not guilty and all the allegations against him were false. He claimed “Asghar Baig” had set the factory on fire.
He said the Ali Enterprises, a garment factory in Baldia Town, was set on fire on the order of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Karachi Tanzeemi Committee in-charge Hammad Siddiqui and many other party activists too were involved in the crime.
Bhola, 46, was detained by the Thai Interpol at a hotel in the red-light district Nana area of Bangkok on December 3 on Pakistan's request.
Two-FIA officials deputy director Badar Baloch and Iinspector Rehmatullah Domki went to Thailand to bring him back. The horrendous garment factory fire in 2012 had killed around 259 workers. Subsequent investigations led to revelations that the factory was deliberately set ablaze over non-payment of extortion money.
Bhola is believed to be th MQM’s sector in-charge in Baldia Town at that time.
He, along with other suspects, allegedly set the factory on fire when its owners refused to pay them extortion money.
Bhola is one of the three main accused in the case. The other two are Zubair alias Lala and Hammad Siddiqui. Zubair is in the custody of police while Siddiqui remains at large.
A joint interrogation team probing the matter had said in its report that Siddiqui had ordered Bhola and others to set fire to the factory. The court had ordered the authorities concerned to appoint an SP rank police officer as the investigation officer of the case.
On November 28 during the hearing of the Baldia factory fire case, an ATC had grilled authorities for not being able to arrest Siddiqui and Bhola. The court had ordered the interior ministry to arrest fugitives with the help of Interpol.
Additional district and sessions judge (West) had transferred the case on August 27 to the administrative judge of anti-terrorism courts adding that it was fit to be tried by an ATC.
The administrative judge later assigned an ATC as the trial court in the case.
The ATC later ordered the investigation officer to justify the act of excluding the owners and other employees from the charge sheet.
Special public prosecutor Sajid Mehboob told the court that name of another MQM activist, Zubair alias Charia, was also deleted as the investigators could not find any proof of his involvement in the crime.