Police arrest 130 suspects in 94 raids

KARACHI: Power given to the Rrangers raised several questions; meanwhile police conducted at least 94 raids in various localities of the metropolis and arrested about 130 suspects during 24 hours.

As per details, the Federal cabinet on Wednesday gave approval for an operation by Rangers against criminal elements in Karachi, with the support of police.

The federal, military and police agencies have identified criminals in hundreds of lists for their alleged involvement in targeted killings, kidnappings for ransom, extortion and terrorism in Karachi.

The power given to the Rangers raised several question about their performance, who have been failing to clam down the situation in Karachi for the past 25 years.

During the past few years, Rangers personnel have also been involved in the killings of innocent citizens. On June 4 this year, Rangers killed Ghulam Haider, who failed to stop his car; on July 16, Rangers shot Murid Abbas, a taxi driver, in front of his four-year-old son.

These acts by Rangers not only damaged the reputation of an institution designed to protect people and property but also created a sense of insecurity at large.

Sindh Rangers Director General Major General Rizwan Akhtar presided over the first meeting of the operational committee held at Rangers Headquarters in the city. Inspector General of Sindh Police and the representatives of intelligence agencies also attended the meeting.

Following the handover of power to Rangers, a meeting was held at Rangers headquarters where they finalised the strategy for initiating targeted operations across the city against criminals.

Sources confirmed that Rangers made lists of criminal elements at local level. It was said that no political clout or pressure will be tolerated in connection with the arrests. The major no-go areas were Manghopir, Kati Pahari and Lyari, where the groups of gangs are operational and involved in crimes, including targeted killing, kidnapping and extortion. 

The Rangers initiated a crackdown against criminal elements from Wednesday night after the meeting.

According to sources, raids were conducted in various localities and several suspects were detained, who were later shifted to an undisclosed location for further questioning. 

Meanwhile, police also cracked down against criminals and conducted at least 94-targeted raids and operations across the city, detaining around 130 suspects. The officials also claimed to have recovered huge caches of weapons, ammunition, drugs, and six tennis ball bombs from the possession of suspects.