KARACHI: The Anti-Car Lifting Cell (ACLC) on Sunday claimed to have arrested four suspects, including three brothers, for their alleged involvement in cases pertaining to murder, kidnapping for ransom, robberies and snatching of vehicles.

One of the suspects was recently released from prison after completing his term handed down in a kidnapping for ransom case.

“The gang, which used automatic weapons for street crimes, have been arrested,” Crime Investigation Agency DIG Amin Yousufzai told a press conference at his office. He said that the held suspects had been arrested in the past but got released.

He said that a special team led by ACLC SSP Munir Ahmed Shaikh, during snap-checking arrested four suspects — Asif, his two brothers, Tauseef alias Bengali and Raqib, and Zeeshan alias Zeeshu.

The ACLC has arrested a man for snatching seven government vehicles

The DIG said that Asif was the alleged ringleader.

He said that on Sept 11, five suspects riding motorbikes had looted three shops near Paposh Nagar at gunpoint. They were carrying automatic rifles and media had also highlighted the incident.

With help of the CCTV footage, the police identified the suspects and arrested four of the them.

He said Asif with his brother Raqib was arrested by Rizvia Society police in 2013, but they were enlarged on bail after spending two months in prison.

During initial probe, he disclosed that the gang committed “six to seven” street crimes on a daily basis in the city

Recently, he with his brothers had also snatched an MP-5 rifle from a guard of the Baqai Hospital and used it in looting people drawing cash from ATMs.

“The gang leader also conceded that they also committed murders after taking money (supari),” the DIG said.

Another suspect, Tauseef, was a addict and he committed street crimes under the influence of drugs.

The DIG said that Raqib despite being younger among the three brothers had committed more robberies. He was once injured during a police encounter.

The gang members also confessed to having killed a person working at a marble shop within the remit of the Pak Colony police station after taking Rs200,000 and two motorbikes from the man who hired them.

They had also killed a man upon resistance during a robbery bid near Nagan Chowrangi.

Suspect Zeeshan had been involved in crimes since 2009 and an antiterrorism court had found him guilty in a kidnapping for ransom case and sentenced him to 25 years in prison, the DIG said, adding that he challenged the conviction before the Sindh High Court, which reduced his sentence to five years and subsequently he was released in February.

The police claimed to have recovered one sub-machine gun, one MP-5 rifle, two pistols, nine snatched mobile phones, two snatched motorbikes and cash from their custody.

Man held for snatching seven govt vehicles

ACLC SSP Munir Ahmed Shaikh told Dawn that the police arrested a suspect, Atta Mohammed Hasan, for his alleged involvement in snatching 10 vehicles, including seven government vehicles, in different parts of the metropolis.

He said a government vehicle was hijacked within the remit of the Sachal police station in April. Later, it was transpired that the driver had facilitated the criminals, he said.

The police arrested the driver and on information provided by him, the police arrested suspect Hasan, who originally hailed from Khuzdar.

He said that one of the snatched vehicles was recovered from him.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2018