RAWALPINDI - A day after law enforcement agencies (LEAs) claimed to have rounded up scores of “proclaimed offenders” along with weapons during a raid on a private housing society located in the Chowki Hameedan area, dozens of unidentified armed men on Saturday took over the housing estate known as “Top City”.

During the Rangers-led raid in the twin cities on Friday midnight, the LEAs had picked the housing society owner, Mooez Kunwar, along with dozens of security guards. The raiding team had claimed to have seized a large cache of weapons from the detainees.

It could not be confirmed whether the weapons the armed men were carrying, one of them dressed in anti-terrorist squad uniform, were legal and had licences, it put a serious question mark on the performance of the LEAs and the local police at a time when operation Raddul Fassad is under way.

A visit to the private housing society revealed that local landlords of Pindh Ranjha have occupied the place by “deploying” over 60 armed men having automatic weapons. The armed men were also seen patrolling in double cabin vehicles in the area while covering their faces with handkerchiefs.

Meanwhile, Rangers on Saturday issued a statement stating that they have detained Mooez Kunwar along with dozens of other guards during an action in Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Friday midnight. They said Moeez Kunwar was linked to MQM Founder Altaf Hussain while many of his guards were involved in criminal activities in Karachi and have been taking refuge in Top City. The statement said that a UK-based woman, Zahida Javed Aslam, had filed an application with Pakistan Rangers in December 2016, accusing Moeez Kunwar of grabbing her land at gunpoint. The Rangers also said Moeez Kunwar was also involved in cases of firing on local villagers and occupying land illegally. They said Moeez Kunwar was involved in transferring money, he earned from the society, to Altaf Hussain in London. A senior officer of an intelligence agency told The Nation that Moeez Kunwar was arrested by Rangers only after they established his contacts with Altaf Hussain.

Khalid, a local landowner, claimed that the Rangers after raiding and sealing the society have tasked them to protect it.

CPO Rawalpindi Israr Ahmed Khan Abbasi and a senior police officer in Islamabad police confirmed that the LEAs did carry out the operation in the twin cities and arrested the POs. They said that the police were not taken on board by the LEAs prior to the raids.

Naseerabad Police Station Officer Nadim Zafar was not available for comments over the presence of over 60 armed men in his police jurisdiction.

A spokesperson for DG Rangers Karachi, when contacted, expressed his complete ignorance about the Rangers raids in the twin cities.

A family member of Moeez Kunwar told The Nation that Rangers and LEAs raided the house of Moeez in F-11/3 Islamabad on Friday and whisked him away along with his father-in-law Abdul Razaq, brother-in-law Muhammad Iqbal, CO Ghulam Yasin, transfer officer Adeel Akram and 20 other including guards, cooks, gardeners and servants. The family member, who wished not to be identified, said that later the Rangers released most f the detainees. However, Moeez Kunwar, Razaq, Yasin and Adeel were still in the custody of LEAs.