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KARACHI: Rangers on Wednesday said they arrested a suspected target killer responsible for taking out Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) MPA Manzar Imam in a raid conducted Tuesday night in Taiser town area of Karachi.
In statement issued by the paramilitary force's spokesman, the paramilitary force leading a security operation in Karachi said suspected murderer Muhammad Ashiq is also affiliated with the MQM, adding he confessed to killing Manzar Imam and his guards on January 17, 2013.
Ashiq is also involved in killing 12 other individuals from other political parties, said the statement, adding that the suspect would dump dead bodies of his victims using a Khidmat-i-Khalq Foundation (KKF) ambulance.
The arrested target killer was produced in an Anti-Terrorism Court Wednesday, which approved a 90-day remand in Rangers custody.
MQM MPA Manzar Imam, along with his police guards was killed in January 2013 when four gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on his vehicle in Orangi town’s Hyderi Chowk area. At that time, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed responsibility for the killing of the provincial lawmaker, a spokesman for the banned outfit had told Dawn.com.
Imam was elected from the PS-95 Karachi VII seat, and served as member on the Sindh Assembly’s Standing Committee on Cooperation, Standing Committee on Environment and Alternate Energy and the Standing Committee on Prisons.
Related: Pakistan Taliban claim responsibility of MQM MPA's killing.
Rangers arrest 'robbers in uniform'
In a separate incident, Rangers personnel nabbed two police officers on Wednesday for allegedly robbing cattle dealers off their hard-earned money in Gulistan-i-Jauhar area of Karachi.
A cattle dealer was robbed during snap checking by police personnel in Gulistan-i-Jauhar area. After the victim called up the Rangers helpline and reported the incident, the force conducted a raid at the spot and took the police officers in custody.
Director General (DG) Rangers Sindh Major Bilal Akber also met Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan at the latter's residence Wednesday and exchanged views on the security situation in the city and province at large.
Related: Karachi Operation: Crime down but sleeper cells still exist
Called in 1989 to assist the police in Karachi by the then PPP-led government amid a deteriorating law and order situation, the Rangers started enjoying more powers in 2009 — again extended by PPP-led governments both in the centre and the province, which allowed the force to search houses and arrest suspects without warrants.
