Lyari gang war member arrested in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: Rashid Baloch, a member of the Baba Ladla gang in Karachi's Lyari area, was arrested in the Bhana Mari area of Peshawar on Saturday.

Peshawar's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) jointly raided houses in Bhana Mari along Kohat Road and arrested Rashid Baloch, alias 'Chichi' after receiving a tip-off that the gangster was currently in Peshawar, waiting for a new passport to flee abroad.

According to initial investigations, Baloch had fled to Peshawar because of the Rangers-led Karachi operation, which began in 2013.

Read: Lyariites unconvinced of Baba Ladla’s death

CTD officials said Baloch was wanted in Karachi on charges of attacks on Rangers and police personnel, as well as high-profile murders, extortion, and running gambling dens.

The gang member has been handed over to Karachi police.

Earlier this year, gang war leader Uzair Baloch, who fled the country in 2013 as the Rangers' operation gained pace, was arrested in a targeted operation on the outskirts of Karachi .

Know more: Uzair Jan Baloch — a profile

Militants killed in Mohmand Agency

At least five militants were killed Friday night in a security forces' operation in Karapa, Mohmand Agency, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The clash comes two days after nine personnel of the Khasadar force were killed in two separate attacks in the tribal region.

Security forces claimed five militants were killed and a large amount of explosives, weapons, and ammunition recovered in an operation in the surrounding mountainous areas.

The area has seen intermittent shelling in the area since yesterday and a larger search and strike operation is underway.

Mohmand is one of Pakistan’s seven tribal agencies near the Afghan border where the military has been battling Al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked militants for over a decade.