MURREE: Police and secret agency personnel arrested here on Wednesday at least 14 suspected target killers and extortionists from Karachi.

The leader of a gang said to be involved in over 100 cases of murder and extortion is among those detained.

According to police sources, the suspects are associated with a large religious organisation based in Karachi and are wanted by police.

The gang leader, identified as Aamir, was arrested from an apartment on the Mall and the others from hotels and buildings in the same area.

The arrests were made during a pre-dawn raid carried out by a large number of policemen and agency personnel.

Three local people who are reported to have made arrangements for their stay in Murree were also arrested.

Police identified the suspects as Shaqid Qadri, Awais, Shoaib, Sajjad, Khalid Mehmood, Danish, Aalamgir, Mohammad Suleman, Naeem, Imran Saleem, Mohammad Irfan, Maqsood, Mohammad Ahmad, Mohammad Basharat Abbasi and Zareef Abbasi.

Tourists and local people were frightened by the news of police raid and arrests of criminals from the peaceful hill resort.

Murree police have set up several posts where tourists are checked, sometimes resulting in complaints, but despite the security arrangement, such a large number of criminals managed to enter the town and stay here.