The District East police on Monday claimed arresting five members of a notorious gang of robbers after a shootout occurred in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ghulam Asfar Mahesar said directions had been issued to his subordinates to expand their intelligence network and arrest those who were involved in house robberies.
A police team, acting on a tip-off about the presence of gang members in the Gulshan area, conducted a raid and after an encounter arrested five suspects identified as gang leader Waseem alias Commando, Jawed, Ateeq, Ameen and Sajid. The cops seized four TT pistols, a hand grenade, looted amounts totalling Rs2.7 million, 275 grams of gold worth about R2.5 million and a car from their possession, SSP Mahesar said and added that during the shootout two of their companions managed to escape.
He said initial interrogations revealed that Waseem Commando’s gang consisted of seven members, who had committed more than 100 robberies in different parts of the city, and mostly in District East.
Moreover, Waseem Commando would claim his association with a political party so as to protect himself. The gang mostly committed burglaries, especially in Bahadurabad, Ferozeabad, Gulshan, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Defence, Clifton, Gizri, Darakhshan, Taimuria, Nazimabad and North Nazimabad.
They further disclosed that before committing a robbery they used to conduct rekey of the house and robbed those houses where the doors were open or the boundary walls were low. Moreover, the robbers would give the looted cash and jewellery to their commander, who then distributed it among all of them.
The suspects had initially pointed out 20 bungalows in District East where they had committed robberies. Waseem Commando was also alleged to be involved in 10 target killings cases and he murdered most of his victims due to enmity or political differences.
He alone allegedly murdered five people in Pak Colony and injured another man in the same area. He has been declared absconders in several cases. He is also accused of murdering a 12-year-old girl, Shabana, during the waves of target killings as well as of attacking a police mobile and injuring a police official. Cases against Waseem Commando were also being lodged at the Pak Colony Police station under arson and other charges. He had earlier been arrested by the police but bailed out.