LAHORE: The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) claims to have arrested a criminal who, police said, was wanted for killing many people including the father of notorious gangster of yesteryear Tipu Truckanwala.

Known as a “symbol of terror”, Abdul Waheed was wanted in murder, assassination attempt, terrorism and extortion cases many police stations in the provincial capital had been pursuing against him.

A police source said Waheed was the last “top-wanted criminal” among his colleagues including Humayun Gujjar, Maqsood, Bhola Sanyara, Mohammad Aslam and Shafiq Baba all of whom would freely move around the city a few decades ago.

About his last major criminal act, he said, Waheed had killed his five rivals in the sessions court of Lahore besides injuring many others including Tipu Truckanwala. Tipu, who was later shot dead in another incident, was going to appear in the murder case of his father in the sessions court along with his companions when Waheed and his accomplices had ambushed them.

He was also involved in other high-profile cases in which some of the notorious criminals were killed in ‘encounters’. Waheed, said the source, remained absconding for the last 22 years or so.

Saddar Division CIA DSP Anwar Saeed Kingra confirmed Waheed’s arrest saying he was the last notorious criminal facing the charges of being involved in high-profile cases. “He had settled in Sri Lanka, where he was running his sports business,” Mr Kingra told Dawn.

He said 45 days ago he (Waheed) came back to Pakistan and purchased a mobile phone SIM in his name which led police to his hideout.

“We traced him through calls and finally captured him in Lohari Gate in a raid,” he said, adding that the gangster confessed to committing heinous crimes including murder of Hanif, Bhola Sanyara and Shafiq Baba. He had also worked for Tipu Truckanwala but later turned his foe when Tipu slapped his elder brother, the DSP said.

During the course of interrogation, the DSP said, the gangster also confessed to killing Tipu’s father in the sessions court and said he also wanted to kill Tipu but failed to reach him because of a motorcade of armed men surrounding him.

Mr Kingra said more revelations were expected as interrogation was under way.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2016