Daily Times

Sukkur Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on late Sunday night arrested five members of a gang involved in the smuggling of explosive items, weapons and other equipment, and recovered heavy weapons from their possession.

Sukkur CTD spokesperson said the accused were involved in smuggling weapons and explosives from Peshawar’s Dera Adam Khel to Shikarpur and other districts of Katcha. The arrested gangsters included Amir Bakhsh Mahar, Mian Mubashir Qadir Arain, Abdul Rauf Mahar, Muhammad Ashfaq Arain and Basit Ali Naich.

The police recovered two hand grenades, seven Kalashnikov rifles with with 2,000 bullets, one 30 bore pistol with two magazines, 200 G-3 rifle bullets, one laptop, four android mobile phones and one keypad mobile phone from the accused. Further investigation is under way.

The spokesperson said the operation was led by Sukkur CTD DSP Abdul Quddus Kalwar.

According to the initial investigation, the accused had been smuggling weapons and explosives to the Katcha dacoits since 2018.

During the interrogation, accused Mubashir Qadir Arain revealed that he had been delivering all the ammunition of his friend Amir Bakhsh Mahar from Dera Adam Khel to Shikarpur in his car.

He further revealed that Amir Bakhsh Mahar’s friend Muhammad Ashfaq, who is disabled, used to take advantage of his disability to avoid police searches while delivering weapons.

Another accused Amir Bakhsh Mahar said that he used to get local weapons delivered in Shikarpur through his friend Abdul Rauf and in Khairpur through his friend Basit Ali.

He further revealed that he would buy weapons and explosives from Dilawar Pathan, a resident of Dera Adamkhel.