Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) on Thursday claimed to have taken around 330 persons including 15 political workers, two target killers and two extortionists during search operations at different vicinities of Karachi in last 24 hours.
According to sources, over 2,000 paramilitary rangers along with policemen and sniffer-dogs participated in the search operations triggered from Wednesday night at different parts of the city including Al-Rahim Apartment, Pehlwan Goth, Yousuf Plaza, FB Area and several sectors of Baldia Town and Saeedabad including 19-D, E-3, A-3, B-3, C-3, D-3, Ranghar Mohalla, Banaras, Sohrab Goth and New Karachi.
They said the law enforcers had besieged these areas and started house to house search initially from Al-Rahim Apartment late Wednesday and later extended to other aforesaid areas of the city. They said the LEAs had detained around 340 persons in these operations. The sources said these suspects, who were said to be extortionists, drug peddlers, target killers and other criminals, were transported to unidentified place for interrogation.
They said the LEAs had detained seven political workers from Pehlwan Goth and huge cache of heavy arms and ammunitions from their possession. Some six persons including two political workers were taken into custody from Yousuf Plaza located in block 16 of FB Area.
Following the search operation at Yousuf Plaza, scores of residents came outside homes and staged sit-in at adjacent arteries to express resentment against this door-to-door search. The protesters, who shouted slogans against the LEAs, said the law enforcers had detained innocent during search operations, creating problems for Karachiits.
They said "on one side, our beloved ones are being killed in the city, and on the other hand, the LEAs instead of arresting wrongdoers, nabbed innocent during search operations. They said these operations are not bringing peace in the city but creating problems for innocent citizens as they were detained and interrogated besides their families were also forced to pay handsome amount to the law enforcers for their release.
Third of the series of these search operations were conducted at different vicinities of Baldia and Saeedabad where the LEAs claimed to have detained some 300 persons including a former Town Nazim Kamran Akhtar. They further said the law enforcers had also recovered weapons including 28 Kalashnikovs, 18 pistols (9MM), 40 TT pistols, nine snatched bikes and some 3,000 rounds from their possession. According to eye-witnesses, the aforesaid areas were fully beleaguered by the LEAs and the detained people, who were blindfolded and their hands were tied, were gathered at open place and then shifted to unknown place.
They said the entry and the exit points of areas were cordoned off and no one was allowed to go in and out during search operations. Meanwhile, the inhabitants of Baldia staged protest demonstration against the search operation at the camp of Saachal Rangers 60 Wing located in Baldia town.
The sources said the Rangers had arrested two target killers namely Kamran Lamba and Imran, who belonged to one of the religious parties, at sector 5A of New Karachi and recovered two Kalashnikovs, two 9MM and 300 rounds from them. Similarly, five more political workers were taken into custody along with heavy weapons at Banaras during search operation. Rizvia police have also claimed to have arrested two extortionists namely Salman and Rehan, who were said to be the workers of one of the religious parties, and recovered weapons from their possession. The LEAs are also conducting house-search at Indus Plaza, Sohrab Goth where some five persons were so far detained till going to press. In the meantime, Colonel Shafiq Nizami at a press conference at Rangers headquarters claimed to have arrested notorious criminal including target killers in last 24 hours. He said the rangers had recovered 149 pieces of weapons from the offices of political parties and from the areas where the search operations were conducted. He also appealed to the inhabitants of the areas not to create problems for rangers during search operations through protest demonstration. He said the rangers need support of Karachiits to rule out the criminal elements from the city, completely.
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