Lahore: Pakistan police Friday claimed that they have arrested a Pakistan Taliban commander, who was allegedly involved in a number of kidnapping and murder cases including the abduction of a British filmmaker.
Hafiz Sanaullah alias Qari Zarar was arrested by Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) on Thursday from Lorry Adda area in Lahore on a tip-off.
He was involved in 2010 kidnapping of ISI officer Colonel Sultan Amir Tarrar alias Colonel Imam, retired Squadron Leader Khalid Khawaja and kidnapping of British filmmaker Asad Qureshi in North Wazirsitan, police said.
The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) allegedly killed both Khawaja and Imam in 2010 and 2011, respectively, after labeling them "spies of the United States and their role in the siege of Lal Mmasjid Islamabad". However, they set free Qureshi after receiving huge ransom.
"During interrogation, Qari Zarar confessed that in connivance with TTP Punjabi wing, he kidnapped Colonel Imam, Khalid Khawaja, Asad Qureshi, and their driver. He and his accomplices killed both of them and released the filmmaker and the driver after getting ransom amounting to Rs 14 million from their families," CID Lahore head Umer Virk told reporters.
Virk said he had kidnapped a man from Islamabad in 2008 and later set him free after getting Rs 27 million ransom from his family.
"In 2001, Zarar also abducted two officials of an intelligence agency from Balochistan for extortion. The TTP men slain one of them and released the other after receiving money Rs 10 million. Similarly, he with the connivance of his other accomplices had kidnapped six men of a non-government organisation for not paying extortion money," Virk said.
"They killed one of them and released others after getting ransom Rs17.5 million from their families," he said.
Hailing from from Dera Ismail Khan, Zarar received militant training in Waziristan and Afghanistan where he learnt use of lethal weapons.
