HYDERABAD: The district police have claimed arrest of an activist allegedly belonging to the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Shahzaib Rajput alias Abdul Rafay.

SSP Sarfaraz Nawaz Shah told reporters here on Saturday that Rafay was involved in a bank robbery and the ensuing encounter with police near Hatri in July 2016. The encounter had left three of his accomplices dead. The suspect was later declared absconder. Eventually, he was arrested near the Sattar Shah graveyard within the jurisdiction of the Phulleli police station, the SSP said. Three criminal cases had been registered against Rafay at the Market, Cantonment and Hatri police stations, he added.

SSP Shah said that the suspect was booked by the Hatri police after an encounter between robbers and police. The robbery case was registered at the Cantonment police station.

According to the police officer, Rafay had committed over one dozen robberies in shops belonging to the Hindu and Bohra communities and used the looted money in terror financing through Afghanistan.

He said that Rafay’s gang was also involved in targeted killing of policemen in Karachi.

Regarding the July 2016 encounter, the SSP said that Rafay’s gang had robbed Rs1.3 million from a bank before its encounter with police that had left three members of the gang dead near Hatri. They were identified as Fahad alias Saad Memon, Manzoor Arain and Asadullah Pathan.

Shahzaib Rajput, Hamza and Naeem alias Noman were arrested following the robbery and handed over to security agencies for interrogation. Shahzaib was released earlier this year from Karachi prison.

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2018