KARACHI: Two suspects, said to be associated with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), were arrested for their alleged involvement in running an extortion racket and killing two traders on Sunday.

The arrests were made in joint raids carried out by Rangers and police in Saddar, Manghopir and Banaras areas.

A spokesperson for the paramilitary force identified the suspects as Mohammed Kamal Khan and Abdul Qadir and said that they were involved in targeted killings and extortion racket.

He said that the suspects demanded protection money from a local trader by using different SIM cards of Pakistan and Afghanistan. He said that their handler, identified as Afsar Khan, was based in Afghanistan.

They used to share cell phone numbers of different traders of Karachi with Afsar Khan. They also sent the money to Afghanistan, he said.

“During questioning, the suspects have confessed to have shared five cell phone numbers of different traders of Karachi with their handlers in Afghanistan, demanding bhatta and killing two traders over non-payment,” said the Rangers spokesperson.

The suspects have been handed over to police for further legal proceedings.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2023