The Sindh Rangers and the Counter Terrorism Department arrested three alleged facilitators of Fitna al-Hindustan during a joint intelligence-based operation in Chakra Goth in Korangi.
A Rangers spokesperson said the suspects were identified as Yasar Arafat, Khuda Bakhsh and Zahid Hussain, alias Barkzai. They were described as “highly wanted facilitators involved in extremist activities”.
During the raid, the law enforcers seized five kilos of explosives, 10 metres of detonating cord, three detonators, a kilogram of ball bearings, 250 copies of extremist literature and a laptop from the suspects.
The suspects were allegedly involved in radicalising students of various colleges and universities to recruit them to a banned organisation, besides distributing extremist material. The suspects had reportedly stored explosives at a hideout for use in potential terrorist activities at sensitive locations in Karachi. The arrested men, along with the recovered explosives, have been handed over to police for further legal proceedings.
13 ‘smugglers’ held
In a joint operation with Customs Enforcement, the Sindh Rangers also arrested 13 suspects allegedly involved in smuggling non-Customs-paid goods during raids in Sikandar Goth and Gulshan-e-Maymar.
A Rangers spokesperson said the suspects were identified as Abdul Latif, Azizullah, Sharafat Din, Haji, Ilyas, Shamsullah, Imran, Kamran, Murtaza, Zubair, Mehran, Hamdan and Ahsanullah.
A large quantity of smuggled goods was recovered from them, including 1,219 packets of Royal King gutka, 1,058 packets of Safina gutka, 2.106mt of betel nuts, two bags of cigarettes, 96 cartons of cigarette filter rods, two cartons of pan masala, 241 inverters, 12 submersible pumps, 85 rolls of cloth, 39 cartons of food items, 12 cartons of cosmetics, 13 mobile phones, two Toyota Corollas, 28 fake number plates and cash.
The non-Customs-paid goods worth millions of rupees were concealed in secret compartments built inside vehicles as well as in warehouses. The suspects, along with the recovered items, have been handed over to the Customs authorities for further legal proceedings.
