Law enforcers claim arrest of notorious Lyari gang war commander

The Sindh Rangers and police conducted a joint operation on the basis of intelligence information in the Lyari area of Karachi on Wednesday and arrested a most-wanted suspect allegedly involved in cases pertaining to murder, attempted murder, target killing, police encounter, terrorism, extortion and sale of weapons.

A spokesperson for the Rangers said the arrested man was Nisar Ahmed, alias Mullah Nisar, alias Salam, a notorious commander of the Lyari gang war. He had worked for the slain kingpin of the gang war, Abdul Rehman Baloch, alias Rehman Dakait, from 2003 to 2008 and was involved in the criminal activities of Peoples Aman Committee led by gangsters.

The paramilitary spokesperson added that the suspect joined the Uzair Baloch group in 2013 and committed several violent acts against their opponents. The suspect’s name was also included in the Red Book of most-wanted terrorists of the Counter-Terrorism Department of the Sindh police.

The provincial government had also announced a reward of Rs500,000 for his arrest. The suspect reportedly admitted during interrogation that he had fled from Karachi to Dubai by making a fake national identity card in the name of Muhammad Salam to avoid arrest after the Karachi operation began in 2015. He later moved to Iran in 2016.

Some time ago, the suspect returned to Karachi from Iran and was trying to organise a gang, the Rangers spokesperson said, adding that 18 cases had been registered against him at different police stations of the Lyari area, including the Chakiwara and Kalakot police stations. Raids are under way to arrest other accomplices of Nisar who has been handed over to the police for initiation of legal proceedings.