TOBA TEK SINGH: Intelligence agencies personnel arrested a youth from Khurshaidabad in Kamalia city on Sunday over his alleged involvement in terrorist activities.

Kamalia police sources said a suspicious call to the mobile phone of the arrested youth, Muhammad Arshad, was traced and he was suspected of having ties with terrorists. They said two mobile phones of Arshad had also been confiscated by the agencies’ personnel.

They added Arshad had been earlier arrested after a bomb attack on Marriott hotel in Islamabad in 2008, but later released for lack of proof of his involvement.

Arshad’s mother, Sughran Bibi, told reporters in fact her son-in-law Muhammad Ashfaq of Chak 497-GB Samundri was in Afghanistan for the last several years. He was wanted as a suspect in the Marriott attack over which he had fled to Afghanistan. She said after finding this out, they broke off all relations with him.

A police official confirmed Arshad had been arrested but he was unaware why and where he had been shifted.

Meanwhile, a police team led by Toba District Police Officer Dr Shahzad Asif launched an operation on Sunday in areas around Shorkot Rafiqui Airbase to determine the identities of those living in rented houses there.

The operation team consisting of Toba Saddar Deputy Superintendent of Police Azhar Yaqub, District Police Security in-charge Inspector Shahbaz Virk and Chuttiana Station House Officer Naseer Ahmad collected data of people belonging to other areas who had shifted to the abovementioned localities.

CASE: Kamalia city police on Sunday registered a case under Section 295-B against unidentified persons for alleged desecration of the holy Quran.

Complainant Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamat City President Rai Najeebullah Khan informed police some pages of the holy Quran had been found in a manhole.

No arrests had so far been made, in this regard, however, police were investigating.

Published in Dawn, December 22th, 2014