KARACHI: Police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested 15 suspects, including a woman councillor, for their alleged involvement in selling drugs to college and university students.

Some of the held suspects were also involved in sexual assault on girls addicted to crystal meth, also known as ice.

The police also identified the owner of a shipping firm as the “biggest dealer of ice in Karachi”, who brought contrabands via sea and air routes.

“The Bahadurabad police have arrested 15 drug dealers, including one female councillor,” SSP-East Azfar Mahesar told a press conference. He said that they were involved in providing ice, hashish and heroin to students of colleges and universities.

He named some of the suspects as Asif, a dealer of ice and heroin, Javed alias Khuda Bux, Arif, Abdul Razzak, Zeeshan, Usman, Razzak alias Ustad and Asif.

Woman councillor among suspects

He said that another suspect, Shahnaz, who is a councillor belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement from union committee No 21 in North Nazimabad, was also arrested.

The held councillor was also an ice addict, he said.

Women councillor among suspects; biggest dealer of ice identified

“This gang of drug dealers is comprised of 20 men and women,” the SSP said, adding that during initial grilling suspect Asif told the police that he used to buy heroin from a man from Peshawar who was also involved in heroin smuggling.

Eight pistols, eight kilograms of hashish, 500 grams of heroin and 500 grams of ice were recovered from their possession.

The SSP said that the seizure of half a kilo ice was the biggest recovery in Karachi’s history.

‘Biggest’ ice dealer in city at large

The SSP said that a man, identified as Mama Bashir, was the biggest dealer of ice in Karachi.

However, he was not among those arrested in Wednesday’s action.

He said he owned a shipping company and was involved in trafficking ice and hashish to Karachi via sea route. “Mama Bashir is also involved in bringing drugs to the city via air route.”

The held suspects also consumed drugs and were also arrested in the past.

Mama Bashir, Haji, Makhdoom, Seemi, Anila and Mehreen were absconding suspects in the case. The SSP said efforts were underway to arrest them.

Videos of assault on girls

The police got clues about several drug networks with the help of the cell phones data record of the held suspects.

“Mobile phones seized from the custody of the held suspects also contained videos of girls being subjected to criminal assaults,” SSP Mahesar said, adding that the girls were also addicts and they became suspects’ victims because they wanted ice.

The cell phone of held suspect Arif contained a video in which a man was subjected to an “inhuman treatment” in Old Golimar.

“This gang was involved in destroying young generation,” the SSP said, adding that there was a need to hold workshops at academic institutes to keep the youth away from drugs.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2019