KARACHI: Rangers on Saturday claimed to have arrested eight people, including three policemen, for their alleged involvement in the illegal weapons business and forging arms licences in the city.

Two policemen were associated with the Sindh Reserve Police and their third accomplice was part of the Special Branch, which is the intelligence arm of the Sindh police.

A spokesperson for the paramilitary force said that the Pakistan Rangers, Sindh got credible information that a group was involved in sale and purchase of illegal weapons and issuance of fake licences in the Liaquatabad area.

The group minted a huge sum of money by issuing fake arms licences.

Acting on a tip-off, the Rangers first arrested Faizan Khan in Liaquatabad.

Gang sold thousands of fake arms licences, degrees and other documents over 10-year period

The spokesperson described him as an “active member of the gang”.

He said that illegal arms and five fake licences were recovered from him.

During initial questioning, the detained suspect disclosed that an organised gang was involved in this illegal business.

In the light of his disclosures, a team comprising officials of both Rangers and police took into custody seven members of the gang.

The Rangers spokesperson identified the held suspects as Assistant Sub-Inspector Umar Daraz and Constable Syed Nadir Ali Shah of the Sindh Reserve Police, Constable Syed Shahid Ali of the Special Branch, private persons Junaid, Zuhair Kamal, Saddam Siddiqi and Kamran alias Preedy.

He said that Kamran Preedy was an alleged hitman belonging to the militant wing of a political party.

He was arrested and jailed multiple times and was involved in selling automatic weapons to detained policeman Nadir Shah.

The Rangers official said that suspect Shah travelled by air to bring arms from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on forged licences. He said he did this around 30-35 times.

The Rangers claimed to have seized nine different types of arms including two G-3 rifles, 18 magazines of different weapons, several rounds, 140 fake arms licences including computerised arms licences along with Nadra forms, 233 fake documents of different kinds, 75 fake certificates of matriculation, intermediate and graduation degrees.

The law enforcers also recovered seven fake driving licences.

Besides, several stamps of different government institutions were also recovered from their custody. The stamps included 131 fake stamps of deputy

commissioners of Karachi, Thatta, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Jafferabad, Lasbela, Nawab­shah, Quetta, Malakand, Jacobabad;

foreign ministry; interior ministry;

banks; universities; educational boards; Rangers Special Task Cell; Central Police Office, etc.

The Rangers said that on a lead provided by the held suspects, computers, colour printers, card printing and cutting machine, lamination machine, stationery and printing material were also seized.

“The gang has been active in this business for the last 10 years,” the Rangers official said.

The detained suspects disclosed that during the 10-year period they sold between 7,000 and 8000 fake arms licences, 3,500 and 4,000 fake degrees, several fake driving licences and several no-objection certificates of different institutions.

Major General Mohammad Saeed, the Rangers director general, congratulated the paramilitary force and police and appreciated their professional capabilities for taking action against such an organised gang.

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2017