KARACHI, March 28: The Crime Investigation Department of the Sindh police on Monday claimed to have arrested a key suspect involved in more than 100 cases, including several high-profile murder cases.

A statement said Shahnawaz alias Ajmal Pahari was arrested after a brief encounter in the New Karachi area that also led to the seizure of heavy arms and ammunition from him.

“The suspect was arrested in an area close to the Eidgah Ground in Sector 5-D of New Karachi,” said the statement issued by the anti-extremist cell of the CID.

“The findings of the investigations so far done may help arrest his aides and efforts are being made to trace his links in the city.”

The statement said the police also seized three AK-47 assault rifles, a sten gun, three .222 rifles, an 8mm rifle, two shotguns commonly known as repeaters, four hand-grenades, two TT pistols and 200 rounds of AK-47 rifles.

The three-page statement listed the record of the alleged killings committed by the suspects that included the assassination of some high-profile individuals.

The suspect was also wanted in the murder of Pakistan Muslim League (N) MNA Zuhair Akram Nadeem, who was killed in Orangi Town in 1998. He was also nominated in the 2000 murder case of Iqbal Raad, a prominent lawyer and one of the counsel for deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the 1999 plane conspiracy case.

The statement said the suspect was also involved in the Pak Colony massacre in the mid-1990s, killing more than a dozen persons, mostly activists of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM-H). The CID police said a number of law-enforcement personnel had been after the suspect for the murders, including those of senior police officials and area leaders of different political parties.

“The suspect was also the ringleader of a land mafia gang and assassinated people for money, usually paid by influential individuals. We have also found him involved in kidnapping for ransom cases,” said SSP Umer Shahid of the CID.

The SSP, however, refused to divulge the political association of the suspect.