Extortion gang member operating from Malaysia arrested

The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) in Karachi has executed a significant operation against an organised extortion ring.

During a press conference on Wednesday, SIU chief SSP Muhammad Shoaib informed the media that shopkeepers across various areas of Karachi, particularly popular biryani outlets, had been receiving extortion threats originating from Malaysia.

Numerous complaints and cases regarding these threats were filed at different police stations. In response, the SIU conducted a technical operation and apprehended a suspect named Faraz red-handed while he was collecting 100,000 rupees in extortion from a shopkeeper.

During interrogation, Faraz made alarming revelations. He confessed to working for a Malaysia-based extortion gang led by a woman named Saboori and her husband, Hammad. Saboori is the sister of the arrested suspect. The gang’s modus operandi involved local members surveying successful shops, especially biryani outlets, in Karachi. They would record videos of these establishments, both inside and out, and send them to Saboori and Hammad in Malaysia.

According to the officer, the gang leaders would then send these videos to the shop owners, issuing threats and demanding extortion payments, warning that their lives could be in danger if they did not comply. Extortion amounts typically ranged from 2 million rupees and upwards, depending on the business’s reputation. The collected funds were transferred to a gang associate in Punjab, who facilitated sending the money to Malaysia.

The gang had previously extorted money from areas such as Shah Faisal, Delhi Colony, Liaquatabad, Jauharabad, and Gulberg. Saboori’s associates in Malaysia had already been arrested by the SIU in prior extortion cases in Gulberg and Liaquatabad.

Upon learning of the arrest of one of their key associates by the SIU, the gang members sent apology messages to the shopkeepers from whom they had demanded money, seeking forgiveness for their actions. These individuals thrive on instilling fear among citizens.

The SIU chief stated that incidents of extortion in the city were now rare, noting that the only unresolved cases were those that remained unreported. Citizens were urged to report such activities immediately to enable timely action.