KARACHI, Oct 22: Police on Wednesday formally showed the arrest of four members of Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, a banned sectarian outfit, allegedly involved in the recent attack on a Suparco bus in which six people were killed. Police said that the activists were involved in several others sectarian killings also.
Disclosing the arrests at a press conference, the Provincial Police Officer, Syed Kamal Shah, said that all the four accused were associated with the ‘Asif Chottu faction’ of the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi.
However, the PPO said, Asif alias Chottu was not in police custody yet and that police were making hectic efforts for his arrest.
Mr Shah claimed that the four arrested accused were involved in several target killings and terrorist acts besides the attack on the Suparco bus.
According to him, the suspects had confessed to their involvement in a bomb blast at PSO House, killing of a journalist Saghir Jafri and a headconstable Mitho Khan in Korangi, and an armed attacked on the Imambargah Muntazarul Mehdi in Al-Falah where nine people were killed.
Mr Shah further stated that the suspects were involved in the murder of one, Umair, in the limits of Khawaja Ajmair Nagri as well as of a headconstable Abdul Aleem and attempted murder of a sub-inspector Asrar Awan, both of the CID, in Soldier Bazaar.
The PPO told newsmen that acting upon a tip off, a joint team of the Anti-violent Crime Cell and Investigation Zone-4 conducted a raid on a hideout in Saeedabad and arrested Shahnawaz alias Shan. A klashnikov rifle, earlier snatched from headconstable Mitho Khan in Korangi, was recovered from his possession, he claimed. Mitho Khan was shot dead by the same gang on February 21, he recalled. About the arrest of the other three activists, Mr Shah said that during the investigation, Shahnawaz revealed whereabouts of his accomplices who happened to be hiding in Orangi Town. Accordingly, he said, raids were conducted and the suspects, Mohammad Masroorul Haq, Mohammad Javed and Mohammad Shamim, were arrested. A sizable quantity of arms and ammunition, including three pistols, five hand grenades, a triple-two rifle and its rounds, was recovered from their possession, Mr Shah added.
Replying to a question about the killing of five brothers, the PPO said that investigations into the case were under way and that an earlybreakthrough could be expected.
Regarding the most recent killing of Zeeshan Kazmi, Mr Shah said that several police officials were on terrorists’ hit list.
In reply to a question about suicide by one, Laiq Chacha, who jumped off the sixth floor of Noman Avenue, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, the Mr Shah said that the man was an associate of the four arrested Lashkar activists.
The PPO stated that two of the gang members, Shaukat Javed alias Chand and Wahab Afghani, who had been carrying out terrorist activities and target killings along with the arrested activists, were also at large.
He said that until the arrest of these two men as well as their ring-leader Asif Chottu, more terrorist activities could not be ruled out. He pointed out that keeping in view the gang’s particular targets in the past, foreign missions, mosques and Imambargahs could be considered as vulnerable to their attacks.
In such a situation, he added, the police had to remain on alert.
Mr Shah observed that following the arrest of Akram Lahori last year, a new wave of terrorism was witnessed in February this year.