CTD claims arresting two target killers who attacked Mufti Ameen

Personnel of Sindh’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) announced on Monday the arrests of target killers belonging to the Lyari gang war and the Indian intelligence agency, RAW.

CTD Karachi chapter chief DIG Omer Shahid Hamid said in a media briefing that on October 31, 2020, a murder attempt was made on Mufti Ameen alias Mufti Abdullah in the Jamshed Quarters police remit. During the attack, he said, an attacker, Muddasir Jawed, got arrested while his companion fled.

DIG Hamid said that during the initial interrogation, Jawed had revealed the names of his remaining associates, including Farhan, who had accompanied him during the attack. He added that investigations and intelligence and technical apparatus found that the same gang was involved in recent target killings, taking extortion money and other crimes, and it also made an attempt on Mufti Ameen alias Mufti Abdullah.

A task to catch the culprits had been assigned to the CTD Transnational Terrorists Intelligence Group (TTIG) chief Raja Umer Khattab, who used his intelligence apparatus and carried out a raid in the Kharadar area, where arrested Haris alias Farhan alias Langra alias Gul Plaza Wala and his companion, Abu Sufiyan. Two pistols, a motorcycle and several bullets were said to have been found on the two.

DIG Hamid said the gang was associated with the gang war’s notorious criminal, Zahid alias Shooter, who was linked with the Indian intelligence agency RAW and residing in the UAE. Moreover, he said, another associate, Haji, operating from Karachi, who used to provide funds to gangsters and name targets given to them by RAW so that a situation of uncertainty could be created in Karachi.

DIG Hamid said Haris alias Farhan was operating the gang by receiving directives from Zahid alias Shooter and Haji. The areas from where this group operated were said to be Garden, Lyari, Soldier Bazaar, Patel Para, Old Golimar and Pak Colony.

The suspects admitted they had attacked Dr Tabrez in June 2020 in which he got injured. They said they also attacked gangsters of their rival Arshad Papu group in Pak Colony in July 2020 in which some gangsters were injured and killed.

They also admitted resorted to firing at a plot in Kharadar after the owner refused to pay the extortion amount they had demanded. The incident was reported in July this year. The suspects also allegedly filmed a building situated on Tariq Road and sent the video to Zahid alias Shooter for an extortion demand.