LAHORE, Feb 10: Police on Saturday night arrested 30 members of a ‘banned militant outfit’ from a house in Tajpura area of the city and claimed to have recovered ‘heavy weapons and hate literature’ from them.

Mughalpura SP Sajjad Hussain Manj told Dawn that the arrested people belonged to the Sipah-i-Sihaba.

He said that a heavy police contingent raided the house of Rustam Ali Moawaia, an active member of the organisation, after receiving information that some ‘militants’ had gathered there to plan some criminal activities.

Police seized a Kalashnikov, triple II rifles, pump action, pistols and bullets besides hate literature, including pamphlets.

He said that police faced no resistance during the raid.

Mr Manj said Rustam escaped from the spot.

Identifying four arrested members as Rana Khalil of Begum Kot, Asif Mehmood of Okara, Asim Umer and Hafiz Naveed Akhtar of Shadbagh, Lahore, he said they had faced police investigation in some cases. He said according to the record gathered from various police stations, the arrested members had been involved in heinous crimes.

He said another arrested accused, Mohammad Asif, was involved in throwing hand-grenade at the Iqbal Town residence of DSP Maratab Ali Shah. The SP said an FIR was being lodged.

Sarfraz Khan, brother of Rustam Moawia said the arrested people were their guests and had come here to mourn the death of PPP activist and former Sipah-i-Sahaba member Muslim Butt, who was murdered in Mughalpura.