KARACHI, July 3: Police are likely to declare the arrest of two activists of a banned sectarian group on Monday for their alleged involvement in killings of Mufti Ateequr Rehman, Maulana Irshad, Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai and five brothers.

Sources said on Sunday that the two activists of the banned Sipah-i-Mohammad Pakistan had been picked up a week back from Ancholi Society in Federal B Area. They were identified as Syed Waqar Haider Naqvi and Syed Jamil Abbas, who had aliases of Muzammil, Asad, Shamsher and Ali. Recovery of a large quantity of weapons would also be claimed, the sources said, alleging that no such seizure had been made.

They said the investigation wing had concluded that the two had been involved in the killing of Mufti Ateequr Rehman and Maulana Irshad on June 23, 2005, and of Mufti Shamzai on May 30, 2004. The wing also believed that they were involvement in the killing of five brothers on the Jahangir Road on Aug 9, 2003, they said.

The sources said the suspects had obtained militant training in a camp in the Northern Areas. They told the investigators that some of their accomplices had died when a bomb went off because of mishandling.

The sources said the two were affiliated with the Raza Imam faction of the group.

Police are hopeful of tracking down accomplices of the suspects in the light of information obtained from them.