GUJRAT: Law enforcement agencies (LEAs) said they had arrested a key member of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Asmatullah Moaviya group, on Tuesday wanted in kidnapping for ransom and slaughtering of two religious figures of Gujrat and Toba Tek Singh districts.

The militant is said to be a former official of the prison department who served in the Gujrat district jail and later joined the militant group after being dismissed from the job. The agencies chose not to share the identity of the arrested man.

Last week, the Gujrat police arrested alleged militant Hafiz Wajid, of Kotla Arab Ali Khan, who also belongs to the TTP-Asmatuulah Moaviya group. He is allegedly involved in the kidnapping of Dr Naqi Hussain, of Lalamusa, in 2009, for a Rs10 million ransom and later slaughtered him. The group also kidnapped Mubarak Ahmed from Toba Tek Singh in 2010 for a Rs20 million ransom but also slaughtered him for he was an Ahmedi.

Another accomplice of Wajid, Afzal Fauji, is already in the police custody for targeted killing. LEAs were conducting raids to arrest the remaining four suspects in the light of the information gleaned from Wajid and Fauji and managed to detain the third suspect.

Official sources told Dawn the recently detained militant too belonged to the area where Wajid was arrested as Gulliana and Kakrali areas of Kharian are know for the activities of the sectarian and militant groups.

There are six seminaries in the areas.

During the last few months, LEAs conducted several search operations there and captured some of key militants.

A senior official of an LEA told Dawn Afzal Fauji was the mastermind of terror and sectarian related violent activities occurred in and around Gujrat district in the last few years.

Dr Ataur Rehman, of Jalalpur Jattan, senior official of the University of Gujrat Dr Nizamuddin, and religious figure Fazeelat Shah, alias Phul Shah, with his six devotees were killed and a British national was kidnapped for ransom from Jhelum by a militant group one and a half year ago. Most of the suspects involved in these case had been arrested some six months ago by Gujrat and Jhelum police.

Also, Gujrat police on Wednesday produced alleged militant Hafiz Wajid in the Gujranwala anti-terrorism court. The judge again handed over the suspect to the police on a seven-day physical remand.

The suspect belongs to banned TTP-Asmatullah Moaviya group, and he allegedly kidnapped and slaughtered two religious figures from Gujrat and Toba Tek Singh districts few years back.

Published in Dawn, November 27th , 2014