Rangers seize weapons hidden in abandoned Nazimabad well

A huge quantity of arms and ammunition were found in an old well in Nazimabad No 3 when the Sindh Rangers conducted an intelligence-driven raid late on Friday night, a statement issued by the paramilitary force said on Saturday.

It said the federal force seized the arms cache that belonged to activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L) who had hidden the weapons in the abandoned well following the start of the Karachi operation.

The statement said the MQM-L workers had put the weapons in the well and later filled it with sand on the directives of the party’s top leadership.

The weapons included one rocket launcher (RPG-7), four rockets (RPG-7), four 7mm rifles and four secondary fuses, it added.

The Rangers requested the citizens to cooperate with the paramilitary force to counter terrorism in the city and inform about any suspicious activity.

Five suspects arrested

The Rangers also arrested five suspects, including two militants of a political party and a Lyari gangster, a statement said.

The paramilitary force conducted a raid in Gabol Town on Friday and arrested two MQM-L activists, who were identified as Muhammad Sunni and Shahzad. They are said to be involved in street crimes and others illegal activities.

During a raid in the Chakiwara area, Mukesh alias Gopia was arrested who is said be associated with the Uzair Jan Baloch gang. The suspect is said to be involved in targeted killings, extortion and kidnapping for ransom.

The federal force also arrested two alleged drug sellers, Syed Asad Jaffery and Anwar, during raids in Khokharapar and Rizvia.

The Rangers handed over the suspects to police for legal proceedings. 

Two days ago, the Rangers had arrested seven outlaws, including an MQM-L activist, according to a spokesman for the paramilitary force.

He said Rangers personnel conducted a raid in PIB Colony and rounded up MQM-L worker Shayan Nazeer alias Shan Masih, who was involved in a number of criminal activities.

In another raid, he said, the Rangers arrested a facilitator of target killers in the Sachal Goth area. The accused was identified as Mashtaq and he was involved in facilitation of a number of target killing incidents in the metropolis, he added.

Separately, the paramilitary force raided different parts of Sachal and Saddar areas and arrested five drugs dealers, the spokesman said, adding that they were identified as Abdul Ghafor, Rashid, Usman, Yaseen Khan and Muhammad Shaheen.

He said weapons were found on the arrested suspects and they were handed over to police for further investigations.

On last Saturday, the Sindh Rangers had foiled a terror plot in Karachi as the paramilitary force arrested four men associated with the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ).

A Rangers spokesman said the paramilitary force conducted an intelligence-based targeted raid in Orangi Town, from where they arrested four LeJ terrorists and shifted them to the Rangers headquarters.

The spokesman said the detainees were high-profile terrorists who were planning a suicide attack on a Yaum-e-Ali procession, adding that the paramilitary force seized a huge cache of weapons and explosives in the raid.

He said the raiding team confiscated a suicide jacket, 15 kilograms of explosives, 18 hand grenades, two Kalashnikovs with 429 bullets, a .444 rifle, seven 30-bore pistols, 15 metres of wire and a computer.