Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) on Wednesday claimed to have detained some 20 suspects and recovered huge cache of weapons from their possession. According to police sources, the police and Rangers have jointly launched a search operation at various localities of the metropolis.
Heavy contingents of Rangers, female personnel, commandos and police had initially reached at Lyari but remained toothless to recover over two dozens innocent citizens abducted from bus stops, main road, shopping centres on ethnic ground by Lyari gangsters as the inhabitants of the area turned violent against the search operation.
The inhabitants of Lyari including men, women, old, young and children thronged on streets and burnt tyres to express resentment against this operation. Meanwhile, five more persons namely Abbas, Irfan, Shoaib, Hussain and Abdul Kareem, who belonged to Katchi community, were injured in an armed attack at Lyari.
Subsequently, the LEAs had discriminately triggered search operations at Salar and Aqal Bonga compounds and detained four suspects, who were shifted to unknown place for interrogation. In past, the Lyari gangsters used to victimise the residents of these compounds. On August 17, 2011, the Lyari gangsters of Baba Ladla group took positions on the rooftops at Umer building, Ramadan building and Anwar Baloch building and fired multiple rockets and grenades at these compounds that left three persons killed and several others injured.
The LEAs then cordoned off several parts of Orangi town including Qasba colony, Kati Pahari, etc and started door-to-door search and detained 11 suspects including Bhalok, a brother of notorious criminal Bhaloo and recovered heavy weapons from their possession. Five more persons were taken into custody from Pahlewan Goth, Micasa Apartment, old vegetable market, etc during search operation. According to eye-witnesses, these vicinities of Orangi Town were fully beleaguered and detained people were gathered at an open place for interrogation. They said the residents of these areas also staged a protest against this search operation, alleging the Rangers for detaining innocent people with no reason.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Sindh Manzoor Wassan while talking to media said that nine areas were pinpointed for operations while the LEAs have arrested 11 target killers in last two days. Similarly, Brigadier Waseem of Sindh Rangers in a press conference said the Rangers had provided assistance to the policemen in Orangi operation.
He said that 14 suspects were detained and 80 weapons were recovered during operation and added that the Rangers had also recovered three stolen vehicles, 50kgs of hashish, 20kgs of heroin and 1000 bottles of wines at various vicinities during search operations. He said the Rangers have started snap checking at various parts of the city to nab the wrongdoers and avert any untoward incident and added that the intelligence based search operations would be conducted in Karachi.
However, the sources in police department said although the Prime Minister has given go-ahead signal to the LEAs to launch surgical operations in Karachi, the futile search operations were launched at various localities of the metropolis to put dust in the eyes of Karachiites. They said the LEAs were supposed to trigger search operation in Lyari at any cost as the same had become the most volatile localities during current ethnic violence but revoked its surgical operation after protest demonstration of inhabitants and failed to achieve success in arresting the miscreants from Lyari, who were hiding in the area with a view to flare up targeted killings in the metropolis.