HYDERABAD: Suicide attacks targeting law-enforcers and residential buildings are likely to be carried out to avenge the July 22 killing of three suspects who were arrested in connection with a bank robbery at Liberty Market within the jurisdiction of the Bodhani police station, according to a secret agency’s report shared with the Hyderabad police.

The police had claimed that the alleged robbers in custody were taken to a place identified by the suspects for the recovery of the robbed money but they came under an armed attack presumably by activists of a banned religious outfit.

The suspects, who also belonged to the outfit, were killed during the attack, they officially stated.

Their three other associates in the robbery had managed to escape and could not be traced out as yet, the police added.

The report’s contents reproduced in a directive issued by the Hyderabad SSP on Aug 12 underlined 13 security measures to be taken at his [SSP’s] office, police headquarters and police stations, besides certain other possible targets. It said the policemen who took part in the alleged encounter could be the most vulnerable targets.

July 22 killing of three alleged bank robbers in encounter may be avenged, police cautioned

The directive was sent to all police stations and personnel were told to be extra vigilant. “Most expected targets are officials involved in encounter of 22 July 2016. However, possibility of targeting other police officials can not be ruled out,” read the secret agency’s report and the subsequent directive of the SSP.

A copy of the SSP’s directive, available with Dawn, said that all sub-divisional police officers, station house officers, heads of the CIA anti-car-lifting cell, anti-dacoity and robbery cell and the crime investigation cell should sensitise their respective personnel about the threat and advise them to be more vigilant during their duties.

It stressed that the police officials deputed on patrolling or picket must wear bulletproof jackets and carry sufficient ammunition. No policeman should be deployed alone. They should not stay at public places for a meal/drinks break. Weapons carried by police officials should be properly checked before they were issued.

It said that while conducting snap-checking, extra policemen should be present at a safe distance to stand guard in alert position to ensure safety of their colleagues on such duty. All muharrirs and deputy muharrirs should remain in uniform and keep themselves equipped with weapons during duty. Main gates of the SSP office, police stations and police headquarters should be kept closed all the time and visitors should not be allowed entry without proper identification and checking, said directive.

The directive said that stickers with religious captions pasted/written on official vehicles, as well as the wall-chalking on the walls of police stations and installations should be removed/erased immediately.

It further said that the DSP of headquarters and reserve inspector (RI) of police lines would ensure security of the properties under their control. Entry/exit points of headquarters should be manned properly and no one be allowed to enter without proper checking and identification. “SP/DSP headquarters are responsible to brief staff, deployed as gunmen/guard with politicians, police/civil/judicial officers and at other places and ensure strict compliance of above directives.” It took the Hyderabad police three weeks to realise a possible reaction from the banned outfit over the killing of its three activists -- Manzoor Arain, Asadullah Pathan and Fahad Memon -- in custody. In the meantime, they continued a hunt for the three other associates -- Naeem aka Noman, Shahzaib aka Abdul Rafay and Hamza Sheikh -- who, according to them, disappeared within the Bodhani area after the robbery.

The deceased suspects’ families rejected the police version of the robbery and arrests, insisting that they [suspects] were arrested and killed in a fake encounter.

Parents of Shahzaib, Hamza and another suspect, Ashhar Shahani, have already filed separate petitions in the Sindh High Court claiming that they were arrested and kept in custody after the alleged encounter.

Police have denied having arrested any of the suspects named in the petitions. The Market SHO, in his statement submitted in court in response to the petitions, claimed that Shahzaib and Hamza were Al Qaeda affiliates.

There were reports that an unspecified number of suspects belonging to some seminaries or having affiliation with religious parties had been picked up after the July 22 encounter for interrogation by law-enforcers but their arrest was not shown.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2016