LAHORE: The Organised Crime Unit (OCU) has made significant strides in cracking down on criminal activities in Punjab, with the recent arrests of individuals involved in supplying illegal weapons to suspected shooters responsible for the mosque shooting in Sialkot district’s Daska town last month.
The mosque shooting, which took the lives of three individuals, including Shahid Latif, a key figure associated with the banned militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad, sent shockwaves through the region.
Latif, who had a history of involvement in violent activities, had been in jail since his arrest in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in 1993, before his release in 2010. The Indian media had previously accused him of being linked to the attack on the Pathankot Airbase in 2016.
During a press conference held after the Daska shooting by IG Punjab Police Usman Anwar, it was revealed that the mosque shooting was a well-planned terrorist act executed by an intelligence agency of a hostile neighbouring country with alleged rogue tendencies.
The accused individuals, originating from Lahore, Pakpattan, and Sahiwal, had operated as a gang, conducting thorough reconnaissance of their target before carrying out the killings.
Addressing the media at OCU Headquarters Model Town today, SP OCU South Aftab Ahmad Phularwan, alongside DSP OCU Model Town Syed Hasnain Haider, disclosed that two key suspects, Sheraz Butt and Mamraiz Khan, had been arrested for their involvement in the supply of illegal weapons to suspected shooters, believed to be agents of a hostile foreign intelligence agency responsible for targeted killings in various parts of Punjab.
Sheraz Butt, who posed as a vegetable vendor, lived in Bagrian, Green Town. He, along with his brother Hasnain Butt, smuggled weapons, including machine guns, hidden within vegetable carts to their customers. Mamraiz Khan was responsible for smuggling weapons from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa using various methods, including couriers, transport, and goods transport vehicles, with weapons stored in warehouses.
The authorities made a significant recovery, seizing 42 modern rifles, including prohibited bore weapons, 58 handguns, and thousands of bullets from the accused individuals.
In a simultaneous operation, the OCU also apprehended members of a gang involved in printing fake currency worth millions of rupees.
Two members of a criminal gang involved in printing counterfeit currency worth millions of rupees were arrested. The apprehended individuals, identified as Rafaqat Ali and Sherbaz Khan, had been operating from a rented house in Harbancepura. The counterfeit currency was later transported to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa for distribution in the market.
Phularwan revealed that the accused had a criminal history and had been previously charged for similar offenses. Rafaqat Ali shared that he had unknowingly rented his house to a suspect, Ali Raza, who was still at large, receiving 30,000 rupees in return for his cooperation.
Sherbaz Khan disclosed that they produced the counterfeit currency using special paper, a laptop, printers, and other logistical support. Ali Raza, the at-large accomplice, was responsible for selling the fake currency in KP after sending it in parcels.
DSP OCU Model Town, Hasnain Haider, emphasised the expertise of the accused persons in producing counterfeit currency, making it nearly indistinguishable from genuine currency. The only way to identify it was through the serial numbers issued by the State Bank on each bill, as the counterfeit currency bypassed other identification marks and standards.
Furthermore, an ongoing investigation has linked the arrested individual, Sherbaz Khan, and the at-large Ali Raza, along with other accomplices, to a case registered in Islampura. Police have seized printers, special paper, ink, a laptop, a cutter, and other items from their custody.
