KARACHI: Police on Saturday claimed to have arrested three suspected militants, said to be associated with a banned outfit, in Steel Town.

Acting on a tip-off provided by an intelligence agency, the Malir police carried out a targeted raid in Steel Town and took into custody the three suspects — Sheikh Mohammed Moinuddin alias Pappu, Arbaz alias Aryan and Areeb alias Bilal.

The police claimed to have recovered two grenades, 90 grams of explosives and arms and ammunition from their custody.

“They were involved in targeted killings and other heinous crimes,” the police said, adding that they were experts in preparing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and were planning a major terror attack in Karachi.

They got training from Afghanistan and belonged to an outlawed religious outfit.

Malir SSP Irfan Bahadur said that Moinuddin and Arbaz were brothers of a “hardcore militant”, Mumtaz alias Firaun, who had escaped from the Karachi central prison some years ago and was later killed by the FC in Balochistan.

Sharing their initial investigation report, the police said Moinuddin joined the banned outfit in 2007 and worked as an accountant of the outfit from 2008 to 2009. He along with his brother, Mumtaz alias Firaun, was arrested by police’s Counter-Terrorism Department in 2013. Mumtaz along with another militant, Ahmed alias Munna, had escaped to Afghanistan.

Police say held suspects were planning a terrorist attack in Karachi

Moinuddin along with Mumtaz had stayed in Afghanistan from March 2018 to June 2019. In the meantime, he got ‘militancy training’ there for 45 days and established a ‘terror centre’ in Afghanistan.

He came to Balochistan in May 2019 and also established a ‘centre’ there to carry out terror acts.

His brother Mumtaz was killed during an encounter with the FC at Panjgur checkpoint.

Held suspect Arbaz told the investigators that he joined the banned outfit in 2019. On June 17, 2019, Mumtaz killed two policemen in Mominabad and Arbaz provided full cover to him.

Suspect Areeb joined the group in 2019. He along with other accomplices carried out reconnaissance of a liquor shop in Hawa Goth of Orangi Town and while returning attacked a police post in Mansoor Nagar in which Constable Habibullah was killed.

During investigation, Areeb revealed that he sent money from Karachi to Afghanistan through hundi/hawala network. He also ‘confessed’ to have killed Wajahat Abbas in Orangi Town on March 23, 2019 along with his accomplices Mamoon Husain and Mumtaz.

He was also involved in the targeted killing of two policemen in Orangi Town. He had escaped to Balochistan after killing the policemen. He said he got ‘militancy training’ in Balochistan.

A Malir police press release said that the three held suspects were involved in several targeted killings in Karachi along with Mumtaz alias Firaun, Asadullah and Hanzala.

Man shot dead

A man was shot dead while another was hurt in Surjani Town on Saturday evening, according to police.

They added that two persons namely Imran, 33, and Imtiaz, 28, were shot at and wounded in Khuda Ki Basti. They were taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where Imran succumbed to injuries during treatment. The police suspected some personal enmity behind the incident.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2020