Rangers arrest two ‘extortionists’ in District East raid

Personnel of the Sindh Rangers have claimed arresting two suspects, associated with a police party and alleged to be involved in extortion cases, during a raid in District East.

The spokesman for the paramilitary Rangers said on Friday that a trader, Zafar Iqbal, had complained that for the past five to six years some men had been delivering death threats to him, abducted him two to three times and released him after taking handsome amounts in extortion.

He said the suspects had extorted Rs2 million from him so far. Moreover, he said, whenever they kidnapped him, they took his signatures on a blank stamp paper and cheques so that if he ever complained to law enforcers they would show that he had to pay their amount back.

In this regard, the Investigation Wing of the Rangers started an investigation and carried out a raid in the old Sabzi Mandi area. After facing some resistance, the paramilitary soldiers arrested Muhammad Shakeel and Shakeel Ahmed and seized a 30-bore pistol from their possession.

During the initial interrogation, it was learnt that the suspects had earlier been associated with the MQM Unit-196, Jutt Lane, as active members and also attached with notorious target killers Ali Chikna and Asghar Ali alias Kaka.

The suspects allegedly blackmailed trader Zafar Iqbal by making pictures of him with girls and also delivered him death threats by claiming that they had the support of an intelligence agency, and no one could do anything against them. The two were said to be alcohol addicts and sold liquor as well. The suspects were later handed over to police with the weapon for further legal proceedings.