KARACHI, June 21: Police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested the Balochistan chief of a banned group, Usman Kurd alias Saifullah, in a pre-dawn raid in Mauripur area.

“Saifullah, carrying a head money of Rs2 million, was among the most wanted terrorists in the country. He is involved in sectarian killings of at least 150 people in Balochistan and Sindh,” SP of CID Mohammad Fayyaz told Dawn. Among the cases Saifullah faced was an attack on a mosque in Quetta in 2003 in which 53 people were killed, the SP said.

He said weapons and explosives had been found in the raid. He said the accused had come here from Balochistan a day earlier and he was planning attacks in Karachi.

Usman Kurd is accused of killing SDO Syed Abid Naqvi in 2001, Prof Arshad Naqvi in Septmber 2001 and Prof Syed Intizar Husain Shah in June 2003.

He was also allegedly involved in firing at provincial minister Nisar Hazara in 1999 and attacks on the Balochistan Nadra DG in September 2001 and on the provincial agriculture director in August 2002.

Police said the accused belonged to the terrorist group of Daud Badeni, who was arrested in Karachi last year.