Rangers swoop on suspects in Karachi

KARACHI - Following the attacks on Pakistan Navy buses on Tuesday last at Maripur, the Sindh Rangers initiated search operation at different vicinities of Baldia Town on Friday morning and detained around 100 persons and recovered weapons from their possession. According to some news agencies, over 700 people were arrested in the operation. According to sources, the search operation was initiated on a tip-off that some militants of banned outfit involved in recent bombings on PN buses were hiding there. Reacting on the information, the heavy contingents of Rangers and police along with female personnel cordoned off different vicinities of Baldia Town including Ittehad Town, Muhammad Khan Colony, Afridi Chowk, Mastana Chowk, etc at around 3:00 a.m. and started door-to-door search from 5:30 a.m. which continued till 10:00 a.m. Resultantly around 100 persons were detained, who were initially gathered at an open place and later shifted to unknown place for interrogation. However, the Rangers claimed to have detained only 11 criminals in this operation and recovered huge cache of weapons from their possession. The sources said that dozens of police vans and armoured vehicles carrying over 250 personnel of rangers and immense number of police personnel took part in the operation. Meanwhile police sources said that operation was launched by Pakistan Rangers and police had only provided assistance during the said operation. According to eyewitnesses, these vicinities of Baldia Town were fully beleaguered and detained people, who were blindfolded and their hands were roped on back, were gathered at an open place for interrogation. They said the rangers after initial investigation transported them to unknown place. They further said that residents of these areas also staged a protest against this search operation, accusing Rangers of detaining innocent people without any reason. They said that all commercial and social activities in these areas remained paralysed during the search operation. Meanwhile, our people including a Pesh Imam of a mosque were killed in the incidents of target killing in different parts of the provincial metropolis here on Friday. A cleric of Dua Mosque was shot dead near his house in Garden East in the limits of Soldier Bazaar Police Station. The incident took place at Garden East near Mona Apartments, when 40-year-old Mufti Maulana Arshad Abbasi was on his way to mosque to offer Fajr Prayer. Suddenly two armed men riding on a motorcycle appeared and open indiscriminate fire on him. Maulana Abbasi sustained three bullets injuries. The injured was shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) where he succumbed to his wounds. Culprits managed to flee from the scene after committing the crime. SHO Irfan Kobra said victim was a resident of Mona Apartments Garden East and he had been a Pesh Imam of Dua Mosque for last 20 years. The victim was the father of four children and hailed from Kala Dhakam. Irfan said police had found empty shells from the scene and initial findings revealed it was a target killing incident. Separately, a bullet-riddled body of a youth was found from Mewa Shah Graveyard in the limits of Pak Colony Police Station. Identity of the victim is yet to be ascertained. Police said unidentified culprits threw his body in a graveyard after shooting him dead. The victim had two bullets wounds and appeared to be Baloch-speaking. The body was shifted to CHK for medico-legal formalities and later moved to Edhi Morgue for identification. Police have registered a case against unidentified accused on the complaint of state and started investigations. Similarly, another body of youth was found from Hassan Olia Village old Golimar area in the limits of Pak Colony Police Station. The victim is yet to be identified. Police said victim had several torture marks and unidentified accused kidnapped him from unknown place and after murdering threw his body at Old Golimar area with hands and legs of the deceased tied with ropes. The body was shifted to CHK for medico-legal formalities. Doctors said victim died of suffocation. In another incident, police found body of a man with torture marks from Block-7, Gulshan-e-Iqbal near Disco Bakery in the jurisdiction of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Police Station. The identity of the victim is yet to ascertained. SHO Kenson Dean said victim had several torture marks and one bullet injury on his chest. The victim was clad in Shalwar Kameez and apparently looked Siraiki-speaking. The body was shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and later moved to Edhi Morgue for identification. Police have registered a case against unidentified accused on the complaint of state.