Malir police arrest two LeJ men involved in high-profile cases

Two suspected militants of a banned sectarian outfit, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), were arrested in Karachi on Wednesday in connection with various cases of terrorism in Sindh and Balochistan. One of the arrested suspects was involved in the suicide bombings at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan Sharif and a polling station in Quetta, police said.The terrorists, identified as Furqan Bungalzai, alias Azam, and Ali Akbar, alias Haji, also reportedly confessed to their involvement in the killings of 18 other people, including six policemen, and kidnapping for ransom cases.The arrests were disclosed during a press conference held by DIG Amir Farooqui, the Zone East police chief, who was accompanied by District Malir SSP Irfan Bahadur. The DIG explained that the suspects were apprehended by the District Malir police during a joint raid with a federal agency.Two hand grenades, as many 9mm pistols and ammunition were also seized from the suspects’ possession. They were later booked at the Gadap City police station under the Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.DIG Farooqui told media persons that the arrested militant, Furqan, was the commander of an LeJ militant wing and was wanted for several incidents of terrorism in Sindh and Balochistan. The suspect also killed two traffic police wardens on Quetta Saryab Road on May 27, 2018, the officer said, adding that two of his comrades, namely Rashid and Mehmood, were also killed in the counter operation.The Malir SSP informed media persons about the involvement of Furqan in the Sehwan blast. SSP Bahadur said the suspect revealed during the initial course of interrogation that Mufti Hidayatullah, Dr Mustafa and Maqbool planned the attack on the shrine; whereas, he carried out reconnaissance of the shrine and shared his findings with Hidayatullah.According to the SSP, Furqan revealed that after he had conducted the recce, two men, Noman and Nadir, took the suicide bomber, Usman, to the shrine who exploded himself there on February 16, 2017, killing at least 82 people and injuring 383 others.The suspect also disclosed that when Hidayatullah was killed by security forces in Kalat on July 20, 2018, the banned outfit decided to take revenge for the killing and established a ‘Mufti Force’. Three days after Hidayatullah’s killing, LeJ leader Maulvi Khair Muhammad ordered Furqan and Noman to carry out an attack on a law enforcement agency, following which Furqan dropped a suicide bomber at a polling station in Quetta on July 25, 2018, who carried out the suicide bombing targeting a police mobile, killing 32 people including a policeman.Sharing details about the other arrested suspect, Akbar, the DIG said he was also affiliated with the LeJ and his two sons-in-law, Salman and Saeed Taqvi, who were commanders of the banned outfit in Balochistan, had been killed in two separate operations carried out by security agencies in the province.The officer said Akbar used to kidnap people for ransom for the banned outfit. According to the DIG, he and his companions had kidnapped a man, Abid, in the Tipu Sultan area in November 2017 and demanded a ransom of Rs350 million. As the ransom money was not paid, the abductors killed the man and dumped his body in Manghopir. He and his companions had also kidnapped another man, Raheel, in Gulistan-e-Jauhar and released him after receiving the ransom money of Rs10 million.The DIG revealed that the Balochistan police had also been informed about the arrests as the suspects were involved in cases registered in the province. Sindh Inspector General of Police Dr Syed Kaleem Imam also appreciated the police party for carrying out a successful operation and announced a cash reward of Rs500,000 for the party.

from The News International - Karachi https://ift.tt/2GR46aS