KARACHI: Several suspects, including a doctor, were picked up in three intelligence-driven raids on as many private health facilities in the city, it emerged on Sunday.

Karachi police chief Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar confirmed only one raid at a health facility in Bahadurabad. However, sources told Dawn that a total of three facilities were raided and besides a doctor, some staff members and some under-treatment suspects, who had been wounded in the country’s tribal areas, were picked up.

“We received information that some wounded militants are being treated at some Karachi hospitals,” said a senior police official. “Police and intelligence officials first raided Zubaida Medical Centre in Bahadurabad and detained some staff members and a few wounded suspects.”

He said: “During initial interrogation, the held suspects informed us about their handler and we also took him into custody in a separate raid.”

The official said that more raids were conducted in which some patients whose hands had been blown off in bomb explosions were also arrested.

“The handler told us that around 100 wounded Taliban suspects are currently under treatment in different health facilities of the metropolis,” he added.

Meanwhile, the city police chief said that three-four people, including a doctor, were arrested in the raid on a Bahadurabad hospital on charges of treating militants wounded in tribal areas.

He said that the doctor was being interrogated. “Other held suspects are militants who were wounded in Fata and came to Karachi for treatment.”

When contacted, an official at the Zubaida Medical Centre was reluctant to divulge any information and said: “No raid was conducted today.”

Published in Dawn, October 5th , 2015

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