KARACHI (Agencies) – In an extensive house-to-house search operation in Karachi, Rangers personnel on Tuesday detained over 500 people for questioning in the wake of a surge in target-killings which claimed nearly 40 lives during the last few days. Large quantity of arms and ammunition was also seized.
Rangers launched the search operation in Orangi Town in the morning and detained over 500 people for questioning. However, local residents claimed that about 600 people had been detained during the operation.
Despite operation, three more persons were killed. A 23-year-old youth Umair was gunned down in Nazimabad. The four bike riders killed a person in Gulshan Iqbal Town Block-4. Unknown people gunned down a security guard in Gulberg Town. The body has been shifted to Abbasi Shaheed hospital.
Contingents of troops kept guard during the search operation and people were asked to stay indoors. All markets, hotels and petrol pumps in the area were closed. Local residents said that children could not go to schools as the entire area was sealed.
Troops cordoned off the area and vehicles were banned from entering Orangi Town during the operation. Motorcycle riders faced identity checks.
Officials said that more search operations were expected to be conducted in other sensitive areas of Karachi.
According to another channel, after the initial investigation, 300 out of 500 arrested were found innocent and released.
Meanwhile, Sindh Home Department on Tuesday issued the notification to further extend the powers of Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) under Section 5 of Anti-Terrorism Action of 1997 for another three months.
According to a statement issued here by a spokesman of Home Department, Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Ali Mirza ordered the extension to the powers of the Rangers to help the Police Department and provide security to the peaceful citizens of the metropolis. He also ordered the Police Department to ensure presence of women police in search operations to uphold the sanctity of ‘Chaadar and Char Divari’. Moreover, he also ordered the police authorities to keep close coordination with the area elders in this regard. “It is our endeavour to ensure indiscriminate operation against anti-social elements,” he said.
Sources in Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) told APP here on Tuesday that the search operation was conducted in collaboration with the police and on the directives of the Home Department to check lawlessness, target killings and other general crimes.
The sources said that the Rangers also seized over 250 motorcycles during snap checkings in that area to check the violation of the ban on pillion riding in the evening hours. “All the suspects and two-wheelers have been seized and handed over to the police in their respective jurisdiction as per directives of the Home Department,” the source added.
Our staff reporter from Karachi adds: Residents had mixed reactions to TuesdayÂ’s operation. Some welcomed the move and others said the operation was causing problems for the general public.
Meanwhile, women came on the streets in protest against police and RangersÂ’ operation in Orangi Town. The operation lasted for six hours with over 500 arrests. Police and Rangers were stopped on the way by several local women when they were returning after concluding the operation. The women blamed security personnel for arresting innocent people and demanded their instant release.
Some people were of the view that security agencies detained passerby, bystanders and commuters on the way to their workplaces.
A random search operation of suspected houses was conducted by rangers in different areas of Orangi Town including Fakir Colony, Omer Baloch Mohalla, Pareshan Chowk, Hazara Colony and Farid Colony at around 3:00 a.m. and while door-to-door search was started at 05:30 a.m.
Residents of the area while talking to The Nation told that violence, target killings and unrest had already disturbed their routine life and now such sort of operations would further make the life of common man miserable.
The sources said that some criminal elements were also picked up by rangers. They said rangersÂ’ personnel misbehaved with families and even with journalists who reached there to cover the operation.
Meanwhile, SP Orangi Town, Khurram Waris, said that Rangers launched operation and police had only assisted them.
Meanwhile, an elderly man was shot dead in Jummah Goth Malir within the limits of Al Falah police station. The victim Gull Hassan Magsi, 63, son of Sabbab Ali Magsi, resident of Rafi Bungalows Malir, was gunned down by unidentified armed men in Jummah Goth, Malir.
The police added that the victim had reached Karachi from Dubai a week ago and hailed from Hub, Balochistan.
In another incident, a young man was shot dead while two others got injures in target killing near Disco Bakery in the limits of Mobina Town police station.
The incident took place in Block 4, Gulshan Iqbal where a 23-year-old Hewand, son of Ahmed Shah, was sitting along with his friends in his street. Suddenly two armed men riding a bike arrived there and opened indiscriminate fire at them. Hewand died on the spot while his friends Ahsan and Talha sustained injuries. They were later shifted to JPMC. The police said the victim was the resident of Bhayani Heights, Gulshan Iqbal, and hailed from Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, a security guard was also gunned down in Ancholi FB Area in the jurisdiction of Gulberg police station. The victim 24-year-old Noor Mohammad Jakhrani was performing his duty near Omar Mosque Block 18, FB Area, where two armed men opened firing on him killing on the spot.
The area police shifted his body to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) for medico legal formalities. The police said the victim was the employee of a private security company.
Similarly, in another incident a labourer was found dead on Tuesday in Korangi ‘K’ area of Awami Colony. The victim was identified as Shabbir, son of Haji Abdul Qadir. The area police said that they also found two empty shells from the crime scene, which suggested that the culprits shot the victim and escaped. The deceased was the resident of Qazzafi Town. The case was registered against unidentified persons.