KARACHI: Police have arrested Syed Hammad Riaz Naqvi, a member of the banned Sipah-I-Mohammad organisation, wanted for the murders of Maulana Azam Tariq, Maulana Nizamuddin Shamzai and several other religious figures. Officers from the Crime Investigation Department raided a house in Malir City and after a struggle arrested the activist.
SP Raja Omer Khitab said that an informant had provided information that the suspect was present in the city and was using a house in Malir. SP Khitab along with DSP Usman and Mazhar Mashwani and CID personnel made up the raiding party that arrested Naqvi; during a search of the house police recovered a Kalashnikov, two hand grenades and a TT pistol.
Khitab said that the activist belong to banned Sipah-I-Mohammed and was residing in a house in Malir and was also running a shop selling security cameras at Nursery, Shahrah-e-Faisal.
The head of the group is said to be Dr Muntazir Multanwala, and SP Khitab said that it was Multanwala who gave the orders for the murders and terrorist acts committed in the city. Naqvi is accused of being involved in several high profile killings in the past few years. He is suspected of the murders of Maulana Azam Tariq, Maulana Nizamuddin Shamzai, Maulana Mufti Jamil Ahmed JUI President Sindh, Maulana Atiq-ur-Rehman, Haroon Qasmi Secretary Information Sipah-I-Sahaba and the killing of three other activists - including a Sipah-I-Sahaba mechanic.
Khitab said that the other known members of the religious group are Askeri, Rauf, Mudassir, Mohammed Ali, Aftab alias Amjad and Colonel Baqar. All the men are said to be educated and graduates. Amjad is believed to have fled to Iran recently, while Askeri and another group member were known to have worked at Shahrah-I-Faisal Pakistan Air Force base. Colonel Baqar was a police official posted in Karachi. All are currently at large. Police hope the interrogation will lead to information regarding the whereabouts of the wanted men.
