Baitullah ‘aides’ remanded in police custody

Baitullah ‘aides’ remanded in police custody 
 
Tuesday, 17 Feb, 2009 | 01:41 PM PST | 
 
 
Suspected terrorists are being taken to the court amid tight security. –White Star 

KARACHI: The administrative judge of anti-terrorism courts in Karachi, Justice Salman Ansari of the Sindh High Court, on Monday remanded six alleged militants belonging to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan leader Baitullah Mehsood in police custody till Feb 28 in cases pertaining to an attack on SSP Farooq Awan, police encounter and illicit arms. 

Police said accused Habibullah Mehsud, Farooq Mehsood, Naekul Islam Mehsud, Javed alias Punjabi, Rehman Mehsud and Attaullah Mehsud were involved in attacks on Nato convoys, kidnapping of law-enforcement personnel, including FC troops, bank robberies and kidnapping for ransom to generate funds for the TTP. 

They were arrested on a tip-off during a raid on their hideout at Kanwari Colony in Manghopir on Saturday morning. A case (FIR No 37/2009) was lodged against them under Sections 302, 353, 324, 427, 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, at Anti-Violent Crime Cell, Sohrab Goth. 

The investigation officer of the case submitted that the accused were involved in a shoot out with police during a crackdown on pro-Taliban elements in Sohrab Goth on January 15, 2009. 

They kept AVCC head SSP Farooq Awan along with two intelligence officers as hostages when the latter had surrounded Mohmand Building at Al-Asif Square, where members of the banned religious outfit were staying. 

The investigation officer said that the militants opened fire and killed head constable Fayyaz Ahmed and police constable Akhtar Munir, while eight other officials, including SSP Anti-Violent Crime Cell Farooq Awan, ASI Ajmair Khan, ASI Ashfaq Khattak, ASI Muzzafar Hussain, ASI Rashid Khan, ASI Mumtaz Khan, ASI Musaddir Iqbal and ASI Sarwar, were wounded in the attack. 

It was pointed out that the militants were wanted to CID police in different cases, including the one (FIR No 64/2009) registered under Sections 353, 324, 34, 186 read with Section 4/5 of the Explosives Act and five other cases registered under Section 13-D of the Arms Ordinance and under Section 6/9 of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act. 

The investigation officer produced the six accused in court and submitted the names of their 13 accomplices, which are Misbah Uddin, Jan alias Baba, Shaheen, Gul Khan, Inam, Hafeez, Azam, Allauddin, Meharban, Nooran Gul, Abdul Hameed, Qasim and Ameer. He sought remand of the six accused to complete the course of investigation till February 30.