RAWALPINDI Law enforcement agencies have taken into custody up to 20 people for allegedly having links with Aqeel Ahmed, alias Dr Usman, the mastermind of the terrorist attack on Pakistan Army's General Headquarters (GHQ) at the weekend, sources said on Sunday.
Aqeel was wounded but arrested alive during the commando operation early on Sunday. The sources said law enforcers had also seized two police fatigues and one camouflage military uniform from a house located on the outskirts of Rawalpindi.
In another related development, the owner of a house in Humak, which was believed to have been rented out to the people suspected of involvement in the GHQ attack, and the case property recovered from the house had been given in the custody of the Rawalpindi police for investigation.
Mohammad Azam, the owner of the house, and an estate agent, Abdul Raheem, along with his nephew Arshad were arrested by the police on Saturday evening as the hostage drama by the terrorists continued in Rawalpindi.
The raiding party had found the house locked. Later they broke into the building and seized six name plates, army div (division) signs, ribbons, fuse for rocket propelled grenades, CNC rounds, detonators, anti-tank mine fuse, hand bags, fuse cutters, army shoes, magazine springs and mobile chargers.
The sources said the raid was carried out by the police after they received information that some suspicious people dressed in army uniforms and carrying heavy weapons had rushed out of the house in a white van with army signs on its front.
An official close to the investigation revealed that suspected people had hired the house for Rs10,000 per month, some four weeks ago and they rarely came out dressed as soldiers.
Investigators have also traced the name of one of the suspected terrorists, who had hired the house in Humak and signed an agreement with its owner a month ago.
He identified himself as Mohammad Kamran from Mianwali, but his temporary address mentioned on the identity card was from Lahore.
The sources said the police had also traced some people in Rawalpindi and its periphery who had either talked to the attackers or they had telephonic conversation with them on Saturday.
Two persons were captured during a raid on a house in Chontra on Sunday. They were identified as Sartaj from Dheer and Sher Jan from Mardan.
They had been staying in the house built on the agriculture land owned by a brother of a local politician.
During the raid, the police seized two police uniforms, one camouflage military uniform, one 12-bore gun and some rounds. The two arrested persons were handed over to the officials of a security agency for further interrogation.
In another development, the Rawalpindi police have been told to get keep their arms in operational condition.
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