KARACHI – The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Sindh police Wednesday claimed to have arrested five operatives of defunct Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ) after an encounter in the limits of Orangi Town and recovered Indian-made 150 kg RDX explosive, two suicide jackets and five kalashnikovs from their possession.

Police is interrogating the arrested militants about their possible links with the Indian intelligence agency ‘RAW’ as the explosives recovered from their possession have signs of India.

The police said that a CID team headed by DSP Chaudhry Safdar carried out a raid at militants hideout in Orangi Town and arrested five LJ activists including Shakeel Burney, Afzal alias Rickshaw Wala, Atif alias Choha, Wasim alias Barodi and Nasir alias Saifullah. The CID claimed that culprits have been involved in various incidents of terrorism including sectarian violence and suicide bombings.

Shakeel Burney, a wanted terrorist mentioned in the CID Red Book, was commanding and operating the LJ network in the City. “All the arrested militants are associated with Qari Hussain Mehsud of LG who is a mastermind of suicide bombing and operates from Wana,” said SSP CID (Operations) Fayyaz Khan. SSP Khan said that the explosives had been transported to Karachi in a car, a couple of days ago by Qari Hussain Mehsud for major terror activities in the City and each suicide jacket contained around 20 kg RDX. They had planned to carry out major attack on offices of intelligence agencies, top government officials, CID and police officials, courts including high court and city court buildings, top political parties offices and other personalities, Sindh Assembly building and cadet school and college and others.