QUETTA, Feb 20: DIG (operation) Quetta Police Hamid Shakeel said on Sunday that 120 people had been arrested since Jan 1, for their alleged involvement in different crimes.

Addressing a press conference, he said these suspects were involved in incidents of target killing, kidnapping for ransom, car lifting, theft, etc.

He said a team of Barori police station raided a house and arrested Naimatullah and other suspects wanted for their role in the killing of Dr Javaid Khan and Bakhtawar Bibi.

He said the gang involved in the killing of one Habibullah was detained and identified the suspects as Abdul Baseer, Mehdi and Fida Mohammad.

He said that Airport police picked up alleged bike-snatchers Lal Khan, Abdul Hameed, Mohammad Siddiq and Mohammad Shah and drug smugglers and recovered 264 bottles of wine and 25kg of hashish.

The Kuchlak police defused two devices containing 29kg of explosives.

He said that several criminal gangs had been busted and 84 men working for them detained. A police operation was carried out in the heart of the city and drug sellers and addicts were rounded up.

The DIG said that drug peddlers were using children to run their trade, adding that action was also taken against those who were trying to encroach on the government land in Khrotabad area and suspects had been taken into custody.

He said that 28 pistols, nine Kalashnikovs, two shotguns, 1,572 cartridges, 14 grenades, 8kg of ammunition, 38kg of hashish, 2,042 grams of heroin, 271 bottles of wine and 20 stolen vehicles were seized during police operations.