KARACHI, Sept 18: Eight suspected militants of a Jihadi organization were picked up on Wednesday and a considerable quantity of arms and ammunition seized from them, police sources claimed.

The sources said that the suspects were picked up at different places in the city. He identified them as Sharib, Abdul Moin, Ismail, Taj Mohammad, Shamim Ahmed, Murtaza Maqsood, Asadullah alias Shehzad, and Hafiz Mohammad Zubair alias Mufti, an employee of the Pakistan Navy.

A senior police official, requesting anonymity, said the suspects belonged to Harkatul Mujahideen Al-Alami.

The official said that the suspects, arrested by the police, had been handed over to the Rangers.

He said that an official announcement about the arrests may be issued on Thursday.

Sources said that the police had recovered eight Kalashnikovs, 12 rocket launchers, 36 TT pistols, dozens of RPG-7, and hand-grenades, 16 drums containing hydrogen-oxide and 10 bales of potassium nitrate. Sensitive communication devices, which were used to intercept the wireless communications on the police network, were also retrieved from the suspects, they added.

No senior official, including the IGP, was available to confirm the arrests.

Sharib was included in the most wanted list, and according to other sources in the police, he had been picked up in the mid of June soon after the US consulate bomb blast.

But, other sources said that the police on a tip-off conducted a raid in the Pehalwan Goth and picked up Murtaza, who led the police to arrest Zubair alias Mufti in the Koochi Camp and Sharib in the Dhorajee Colony on Wednesday.

Police sources said more raids were conducted in Orangi Town and Nazimabad in which more weapons were recovered.

The Sindh government had announced a reward of Rs18.5 million on the arrest of nine most wanted suspects for their alleged involvement in the bomb blasts and sectarian killings.

According to the sources, Sharib was wanted for his alleged involvement in the Sheraton Hotel and US consulate bomb explosions. The government had announced a Rs1.5 million prize on his arrest.

Another suspect Naveedul Hasan, carrying a reward money of Rs2 million, was also arrested for his alleged involvement in the US consulate bomb explosion.

Besides, Ataur Rehman alias Naeem Bukhari and Faisal Bhatti alias Zubair Chishtie, affiliated with a banned group, are also in the custody of the paramilitary forces. They are included in the most wanted list carrying Rs3 million reward each.

However, the police officially denied the arrest of any suspect included in the most wanted list.

The Director-General of ISPR, Major General Rashid Qureshi, told Dawn by telephone from Islamabad that seven people had been arrested in Karachi and some of them were involved in the Sheraton bomb blast. The suspects were being interrogated by the intelligence agencies and police.