Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Sindh Police on Saturday claimed to have arrested four militants including Sindh Chief of banned outfit Punjabi Taliban, Ustad Aslam group and recovered huge cache of high explosive, suicide jackets and weapons. Additional DIG CID Ghulam Shabbir Sheikh along with SSP CID operation Mazhar Mashwani made the disclosure at a press conference held at CID Civil Line office here on Saturday.
He said the team of CID on a tip-off conducted raid at national highway near thermal factory located in Shah Latif area that led to have arrested four militants namely Alauddin alias Shakirullah, a Ameer of Punjabi Taliban Sindh, Farhan Khan alias Ali, Amir Shahzad alias Mufti Asadullah and Shah Jahan alias Adnan Munna and recovered two live suicide jackets, 145kgs of high explosive, six detonators, 23 rocket grenades, three Kalashnikovs, one 9MM pistol, 2kgs of ball bearings, 10kgs of fertiliser and detonating wires from their possessions.
Sheikh further said the detained persons during initial course of investigation revealed that they belonged to Ustad Aslam group and have made a plan to target judges, high law enforcers and government offices in future. He said the accused Alauddin, who was chief (Ameer) in Sindh, was arrested in wounded condition in 2010 when the police foiled his robbery bid at Pirabad area. However, his other accomplices managed to run him away from police custody at Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) during his treatment.
Thereafter he went to Punjab where his group leader Ustad Aslam gave him Rs 1.7 million for establishing network in Sindh. For the purpose, the accused purchased weapons and other explosive material to make his network strong in Sindh especially in Karachi. SSP Mazhar Mashwani said the accused persons also admitted to have murdered seven persons including police constable in Hyderabad in 2011.